EMT shears

EMT shears — named for emergency medical technicians who use them to cut clothing away from injured patients — are a standard piece of safety equipment for any scene involving rope, tape, or other restraint materials. They are cheap, widely available, and not optional.

The defining feature is the lower blade: it is angled and completely blunt at the tip. This design allows the blade to be slid under a tensioned rope or a strip of tape that sits against skin without the risk of the tip catching or piercing tissue. The upper blade provides the cutting edge; the lower blade guides and protects.

Why blunted tip matters in practice

When rope is under tension — particularly in bondage where the restrained person may have shifted position, or in suspension where body weight loads every line — the gap between the rope and skin is very small and inconsistent. Under calm conditions, you can work a regular blade through a gap like that. Under emergency conditions, with a partner who may be distressed, losing circulation, or unconscious, and with your own adrenaline elevated, a standard pointed scissor tip will find skin.

The blunted tip of EMT shears removes that specific failure mode. You slide the lower blade flat against the skin, under the rope, and cut upward and outward. The motion is away from the body, not toward it. Even with imprecise placement, the blunted blade does not penetrate.

Cutting direction

The correct motion for using EMT shears on a restrained partner is always upward — away from the body surface:

1. Slide the blunted lower blade beneath the material, flat against skin.
2. Open the shears slightly to create separation between rope and lower blade.
3. Cut by closing the shears in an upward motion, the cut moving away from the skin.
4. Never push down or press the shears toward skin to create a cut.

This matters because in a true emergency — a partner losing consciousness, a tie creating nerve compression, a rig failure — the shears will be used quickly. Practicing the motion once before a scene is worthwhile.

Where to position shears during a scene

EMT shears must be within arm’s reach of the person managing the scene, throughout the scene. “In the bag” or “on the shelf across the room” is not close enough. The standard practice is on a surface immediately adjacent to the scene space — in sight, accessible without searching.

For suspension scenes specifically, the shears should be in the rigger’s immediate environment at all times. In suspension, circulation restriction and positional nerve compression can produce loss of function quickly once they occur. The response window is short. Reaching a tool that is ten meters away is not compatible with that window.

What EMT shears cut well

EMT shears cut through:

• Cotton, hemp, and jute rope up to approximately 6mm diameter in a single cut
• Nylon and polyester rope (slightly more resistance)
• Bondage tape and electrical tape cleanly
• Clothing and fabric restraints
• Leather restraints with effort — multiple cuts may be needed

Thick natural-fiber rope above 8mm may require working through strand by strand. This is still faster and safer than using a knife under pressure.

EMT shears as a psychological element

Having shears visible in the scene space also serves a secondary function: it makes the exit visible to the restrained partner. Knowing that the means to end the restraint is present and close changes the subjective experience of being restrained — for some people, paradoxically, knowing they can be freed quickly makes it easier to relax into the restraint.

They cost a few euros. Every bondage kit should contain at least one pair. Placing them near suspension rigs is not optional.