Being a paramedic or an EMT, can you think of all the places you have to face challenges? The answer is ‘no’ as the emergency medical service holder itself signed for all the harsh environment it has to offer. In this field, alongside several safety gears, a good pair of EMS boots are meant to safeguard your feet while ensuring you stand and walk with confidence for helping people in emergency and being a hero!
Now, comes the main hassle of choosing a pair of comfortable and overall good EMS boots. But worry no more, as we tried to come up with all the tips that you need to know for choosing the best pair. Here you go!
Contents
1. Comfortable and Breathable
If you do not feel comfortable while working, you will not be able to deliver comfort to the patients. So, comfort matters everywhere! While buying, look for the functions that make your feet feel happy due to the cushioning, safety, stability, breathability, etc.
Choosing one with enough ventilation promotes fine posture and ease while walking. You can make sure that you will get enough comfort if you choose a durable material from which your boots are made. This also gives you flexibility by increasing your potential in any workplace. On the other hand, the build quality of the boots is also an important feature to look at for getting added comfort.
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2. Protection
If you have been working as an EMT, you already know the different risks that come your way every day—for example, falling of different objects, chemical spillage in the foot, electrical safety hazards, sole punctures, and so on.
Let us not delay and get into the functions you should look for, getting the ultimate protection against hazards.
3. Puncture Protection
While working in medical areas, there is a very good chance of getting your boot soles punctured due to needles and other sharp objects that are found lying on the floor. If you face this problem in your workplace and want to avoid it, choose a pair of well-constructed boots with quality soles.
4. Toe Type
Different types of safety toes and regular toes can be found in the market. Among them, steel toes and composite toes are engineered to protect your feet from heavy falling objects. But they can be extremely heavy at times due to the safety toe feature.
However, you can also choose a regular toe if you prefer a more lightweight pair and not likely to get exposed to such environments where there is a risk of falling objects in the feet.
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5. Metatarsal protection
You can click here to find a pair of EMS boots with specialized metatarsal protection for the upper part of your feet. This feature is perfect for you if you have a pair of sensitive feet or need extra attention around the metatarsal area. However, this is more of a less important feature for a person having normal feet type.
6. Protection from Electrical Hazard
Boots that come with electrical hazard protection offer outstanding safety against electrical shocks and other hazards. Additionally, they meet ASTM and other such standards for ensuring that you are protected.
7. Soles and Traction
Among many types of soles that are available in the market from all around the world, a sole which comes with great traction is an important feature that you should go with for your safety. As you might be required to work in slippery surfaces at times, you should also look for slip-resistant properties and chemical and oil-resistance.
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8. Waterproof
While choosing, you must consider the weather and work terrain you will be working on. In the end, it is up to you to decide how important it is to have the waterproofing property.
9. Support
A pair that is designed to give you enough support ensures great stability and mobility. While support may come in different forms, you must lookout to get enough arch and ankle support in specific.
Arch support is very important for people who have flat feet. As a result, if you have feet with that condition, you know what to consider to work comfortably and efficiently. On the contrary, extra padding and a longer shaft offer excellent ankle support. But long shafts may decrease ankle mobility at times. Hence, choose wisely according to your preference.
10. Satisfactory Fitting
A well-fitting pair can help you to walk and stand comfortably and, as a result, bring efficiency in what you do. You will see that many boots do not run true to their sizes and come with a size wider or smaller. Do not forget to look for that before buying and make sure not to buy the wrong size. We can not deny that a satisfactory fitting can level up comfort as well.
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11. Side Zipper
For quick releasing or easy on and off, a zipper works exceptionally well. We all know what the EMTs have to do. In an emergency, they get very little time to get ready and go to the field. In such conditions, the role of a zipper is undoubtedly praiseworthy.
In the market, you will come across two types of zippers in the EMS boots. Some come with a zipper at the side, while others may feature it in the front. But both of these do the same work of saving your time while a conventional lacing system needs extra time to get them on.
However, the only con of having zippers is their chances of failing. This does not happen very often, but to stay on the safe side, you can purchase a zipper kit for emergencies.
Conclusion
While different boots will feature different advantages and disadvantages, keep in mind to search for the one that better fits your budget while giving you maximum functionalities as per your requirements. To sum up, following the tips mentioned above in mind, we believe you can make an excellent purchase for the great work you do.
