By virtue of his job, Tisbury ambulance coordinator Jeff Pratt is something of an expert on the hazards of winter.

The worst, he says, is when snow falls and is not cleared before the temperature falls, turning it to ice.

“Once or twice every single winter I can ever remember, we get a period where soft, wet snow turns to ice and the temperature doesn’t warm for many days,” he said. “Then there are so many falls.”

And not only among the general public, but also among Mr. Pratt’s own people. Imagine dealing with such icy conditions while walking backwards, carrying a patient on a stretcher or chair. It is a danger not only to the staff, but also to whomever they are helping.

So now the town is doing something about it. An order has been placed for two dozen sets of Yaktrax, strap-on devices that go over boots to reduce the risk of slipping on packed snow and ice.

Town administrator John Bugbee claims credit for the idea.

“Over the past few years in town we’ve had a number of slip-and-fall injuries [involving town employees], particularly in the ice and snow,” he said.

“They go down, get hurt, which costs everyone money. The person can only get 60 per cent [of their wage] on worker’s compensation, and I’m sure they would rather be working.

“And we only have three full-time EMTs and paramedics. So if you lose one of those people, your workforce is cut by a third.”

Unfortunately, the ambulance staff is unlikely to get their new footwear for a couple of weeks.

But depending on how things pan out, this could be just the first Yaktrax purchase.

“We’ll have a debrief after the winter,” said Mr. Bugbee. “If we find people really like them, if they help in treacherous situations and avoid debilitating injuries, we’ll look at expanding the program to include the fire, police, and public works departments — whoever we think could use help.”

Another thing that would help is better snow removal, and Tisbury selectmen beat the drum on that perennial bugbear at their most recent meeting on Dec. 28, the day after the first significant snowfall of the season.

For the third successive year, selectmen complained about the number of sidewalks around town that are not cleared and threatened to begin fining people who fail to shovel.

In a statement released afterwards, the selectmen said they are “increasingly concerned with the high number of sidewalks that remain impassable after a storm despite repeated efforts to publicize the issue.”

A town bylaw stipulates that any tenant, occupant, owner or agent of any building or land on any street where there is a sidewalk must clear it within four hours of a daytime snowfall, or if the fall is at night, clear it by 11 a.m. the next day.

The fine for failure to comply is $20.

Said chairman of the selectmen Jeff Kristal: “We have repeatedly raised this issue publicly and yet the issue persists. At some point the town may need to begin imposing fines on those who have not complied with the bylaw.”

Not only do uncleared sidewalks present a slipping hazard, they also become a traffic hazard when pedestrians are forced onto roadways, selectmen said.

As well as the prospect of a $20 town fine, they noted, a recent state Supreme Court ruling could see people who don’t clear snow more easily sued.

“A recent memo from town counsel stated, in Papadopoulos v. Target Corporation, 457 Mass. 368 (2010), the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a property owner can now be liable for snow and ice injuries, whether such injuries occur from natural accumulation of snow or ice or from ineffective snow and ice removal,” the release said.