I started my fire career in a good pair of norwegian welt mountaineering boots that didn't really make the 8" height limit but they were what I had (and were good rough country hikers). The soles delaminated on a fire and I had to screw them back on with screws salvaged from somebody's tool box. The nails and screws that you find on the sole of a pair of White's are there for a reason.
But yeah, the heels just aren't that great for hiking in. It's hard to imagine parachute landings with those heels, but I've watched it happen.
