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Permalink Reply by FireSiren on January 13, 2012 at 8:30pm

Tim - 

It is unlikely that any one boot is going to be " the best footwear for all types of rescues out there; in ALL conditions" AND be a great fit for ALL the members of your team, including women, which are often sized differently and do not fit into all mens boots...

A number of teams have found it more productive to outline the standards that they require the boots meet, e.g. must be at least 8" high, must have a steel or composite toe, steel or puncture proof shank, meet ANSI regs, and be a specific color, and then let their members choose what fits them best within those parameters.

Personally after many years in wilderness S&R I had multiple pairs of Danner Matterhorns that were like slippers, and for USAR I love my Haix.

Your mileage may vary.

Kali 

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Permalink Reply by Marc Hansen on January 22, 2012 at 9:16pm

For USAR type work personally I'd have to go with Haix boots a little more expensive than most but well worth the money. For more everyday type (EMS) Danner makes a great boot again a little more expensive but worth it.

When we first looked at Haix boots their salesman pulled out cut aways of Haix boots and like 5 compettiors boots, handed them out to us and then LEFT to go get coffee so we could see the difference!  Looking at the construction made it almost a no brainer but we told him we wernt sure, and he gave us 2 pair of boots to use at a structucal collapse class we had coming up. Wore those boots for 3 days and they felt almost as comfortable as my tennis shoes

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Permalink Reply by John Trueman on November 30, 2012 at 12:53pm

I've been with a SAR unit for almost two years now and I wear Bates Tactical Sport boots. They are side zip and are the most comfortable boots I've ever worn. They also cost less than $100. I wear these boots everywhere I go. They are the only shoes I wear for both SAR and Fire/Ems work, as well as everything else. I definitely reccomend them for anyone doing SAR. They are not for extreme cold, but as I am in Northwest Mississippi, that is not a problem. I know it's not what you said your three types are but it's just my input. Good luck and stay safe!

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