After clocking out of a 12-hour shift, you might expect San Francisco Fire Department EMT Cryssa Dragon to head home and hit the hay. But most days, she’s changing into another kind of gear and heading to the gym for training. After years as a weightlifter, lately she’s shifted into Muay Thai to keep the pressure off her joints and on her opponents.

With work ethic like that, it should be no surprise that she has built up a loyal following of people who enjoy her training, travel, and positivity. 

Q&A with Cryssa Dragon

How did you get started in your EMT career?

I'd always been interested in fire or police, since I was young. I grew up in North Beach, San Francisco. We had a fire station and a police station nearby, and a lot of the neighborhood alumni became police, fire, union workers, or nurses. So, I leaned toward the EMT route, did my EMT training, and started meeting people who were headed to the fire academy. Right after finishing EMT school, I moved into fire science courses.

After school I worked at AMR San Francisco and, at the same time, as a tech in the Kaiser Emergency Department — about five years total between the two. Then I finally applied to the fire department and got in, starting in the EMS division.

 Right now I'm an EMT, but what we call a "closet paramedic" — I have the qualifications but haven't done the internal academy yet, since that's seniority-based and I'm next in line.

 

What HAIX boots do you wear on the job?

I currently wear the women’s Airpower XR2 in size 8.5. I specifically chose women’s sizing for a better fit and feel overall.

I have a history of ankle injuries so the extra support and structure from the boots help a lot for long shifts. I have personally noticed minimal heel slipping and pressure points in the boots.

 

Have you tried other boots before these? How do they compare?

I’ve worn other boots before, mostly in standard unisex sizing. The women’s Airpower feel more tailored to my foot shape, lighter, and provide more support. Especially with these unique buildings and hills in San Francisco, the unpredictability factor plays a huge role in why I chose these boots for work.

The biggest difference for me has been the overall fit—especially with the heel and width. Personally, women’s size fit tend to feel more natural instead of feeling loose or oversized. For women in EMS and Fire, I recommend trying them because having boots designed for women can help improve comfort, support, and confidence.

 

How important is it to get the right fit for your boots?

Getting the right fit for boots is extremely important to me. If boots don’t fit properly, it affects comfort, performance, and even safety. A good fit prevents fatigue, injuries, and unnecessary strain after long days.

 

Online you post about fitness and EMT work. How did you get started turning your passions into a social media following?

Most of my early Instagram following came from powerlifting. But I was posting big lifts, deadlifts and squats. At one point I held a world record of a 447 deadlift in a geared federation, and I was ranked nationally in squat at 457. That's when I started gaining a following from viral lift videos.

Then small sponsors started reaching out once they realized my actual job was EMS-related. They'd say, "Oh, we thought you were a full-time athlete," and I'd be like, "No, I work 12-hour shifts and still have to force myself to the gym because I have a competition next week."

 

Is there any message you’d like to share to the first responder community?

Having a lot of followers doesn't mean your voice matters more. Having a lot of followers is like having a lot of money in Monopoly. Does it really mean anything?

So I always say: whatever's happening on social media doesn't matter. What you do for work is your real job, what you do outside the internet is your real life. It costs nothing to be kind. It costs nothing to be a decent human being. It costs nothing to be honest.

For people in our field specifically, I always say: take care of each other. Because at the end of the day, that's what you'll actually have — not the people liking your posts.

And for women especially: if someone tells you that you can't do something, do it until you prove them wrong.