Recent figures from Statistics Canada show that over half of Londoners are overweight or obese, and it is putting a strain on health care resources - especially ambulances.

Now the Middlesex-London EMS is looking for some new equipment to help them handle the extra weight, and make ambulance trips more comfortable for larger patients.

It’s not uncommon for EMS to pick up people who weigh in excess of 600 pounds - and bariatric patients put a physical strain on both paramedics and the equipment.

John Prno, deputy chief of operation for Middlsex-London EMS, says “The population is getting bigger, heavier…we’re really on able to carry a patient who’s at the most 400 pounds in this type of configuration.”

In fact, twenty per cent of Londoners are classified as obese - that is, they have a body mass index of 30 or higher.

And it’s a number that has grown in recent years, which means paramedics are increasingly picking up patients too heavy for the trucks.

Getting the right size equipment isn't just a problem in Ontario - EMS departments across North America have been converting ambulances over the past decade.

In the U.K. every EMS station is expected to have specialized vehicles within the next couple of years.

It couldn't come soon enough for Eileen Forde, who found a recent trip to hospital very uncomfortable.

"I expected if I had to lay on a trolley that the trolley would be wide enough. Some trolleys have extensions, this didn't, so it was not appropriate…I was in a lot of pain after the journey."

Specialized equipment could include a Powerflexx cot, large body surface platform, mattress and accessories and upgraded stretcher mounting systems – with a total cost of about $15,000.

Prno explains the alternative, “If they’re too big to fit in the ambulance they’d actually be put on a tarp and moved in a large van, something that’s just all floor space.”

He says they are looking for a way to transport patients with dignity and respect, and in comfort.

Middlesex County council is expected to vote on the motion on Tuesday.