Japanese firefighters ask: please don't tidy up our shoes during rescue operations

The fire department of the Japanese city of Kanazawa has made an unusual request to residents: please don't tidy up the shoes rescuers take off before entering a home. According to firefighters, the polite Japanese custom of neatly lining up guests' shoes with the toes facing outward actually slows them down when they need to leave a building quickly — especially when they're carrying a patient out on a stretcher.

In Japan, it has long been customary for hosts to neatly arrange their guests' shoes after they take them off at the entrance, making it easier for departing visitors to put them back on. However, in emergency situations, this well-meaning gesture works against the very people it's meant to help, The Guardian reports, citing Japanese sources.

The Thirty Seconds That Matter

Firefighters in Kanazawa released a short video vividly illustrating the problem. Three rescuers take off their shoes before entering an apartment, after which the homeowner, following custom, neatly arranges them. When the team later comes out carrying a stretcher, they struggle to quickly put their shoes back on — not least because all the uniform footwear looks identical, making it hard to tell at a glance which pair belongs to whom.

"Rescue teams leave their shoes in a specific order that corresponds to each team member's role, so if someone rearranges them, it creates confusion and delays when transporting the patient," said firefighter Daisuke Yamashita. Based on the experience of Kanazawa's fire department, this costs them about thirty seconds — time that can be critical in an emergency.

Public Reaction and a Practical Alternative

Commenters under the video widely admitted they never would have guessed that neatly arranged shoes could affect the course of a rescue operation. Others suggested that, in emergencies, rescuers should simply be allowed to enter homes without taking off their shoes at all, etiquette notwithstanding.

"We appreciate the kindness people show by tidying our shoes. But during a callout, it would be far more helpful if you used that time to get the patient's insurance card or another form of identification ready instead," Daisuke Yamashita concluded, offering residents a more practical way to speed up rescue efforts.

Source: novinky.cz