Japanese firefighters ask residents not to straighten paramedics’ shoes

A fire department in Kanazawa, Japan, is asking residents to resist a familiar act of courtesy during medical emergencies: rearranging paramedics’ shoes at the entrance. The department says emergency crews position their footwear deliberately after removing it before entering a home. Leaving the shoes in place allows three stretcher bearers to step into them efficiently when they leave, without unnecessarily jolting the patient or disturbing an oxygen mask. In Japan, people generally remove their shoes when entering a home. Hosts commonly turn visitors’ footwear toward the doorway so it is easier to put on when they depart. But Kanazawa’s firefighters say that custom can cause problems when applied to paramedics’ footwear during an emergency. The department demonstrated the procedure in an Instagram video posted on August 5. According to The Guardian’s report, the video had received more than half a million views. The firefighters showed that the shoes are left in specific positions based on the roles of the crew members who will need to put them back on. Firefighter Daisuke Yamashita, speaking to TBS News Dig, said moving the shoes out of kindness can complicate the crew’s exit and delay the patient’s transport. He estimated that the disruption can cost about 30 seconds. Yamashita said the department appreciated the intention behind tidying the footwear, but suggested that residents provide more useful assistance by preparing the patient’s My Number card, a social security number, or another form of identification. The advice drew largely appreciative responses online, including comments from people who said they had not realized the shoe placement served a practical purpose. One commenter suggested that, in an emergency, residents might simply invite the crew inside without requiring them to remove their shoes.