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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Gavin Blair in Tokyo

Please don’t rearrange our shoes when we turn up, paramedics in Japan urge

Firefighters demonstrate positioning shoes at a doorway so stretcher bearers can step straight into them
Kanazawa firefighters demonstrate how paramedics leave their shoes positioned at entrances in precise spots so that three stretcher bearers can step straight into them without shaking the patient around, or risking dislodging their oxygen mask Composite: kanazawa_syoubou/Instagram

Etiquette, manners and consideration for others are integral pillars of Japanese society but there are times when they might go a step too far, according to one city’s emergency services.

The fire department in the central city of Kanazawa has urged people not to tidy up the shoes that paramedic crews have taken off when entering a house, warning it could hinder their ability to get in or out quickly, particularly when carrying someone on a stretcher.

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