I am currently a fireman working for SCDF. I am proud to be a fireman. I am proud to be in a job where i am saving lives and property for a safe and secure Singapore.
I have been waiting for many months, ever since i heard that they were going to do a show on the Home Team. I was excited. Very excited to see the show. I have never been more eager to watch a locally produced show in my life. I waited and waited. And finally, the premiere began.
With baited breath, i turned on the television and sat down, eager to see the great show that has been made from what i do day in day out, risking my life to save others. (some might say i hardly risked by life so far, but hey, if the opportunity comes, i know i will)
The show begins. Ah yes... what i've been waiting so long for. The opening scene. An RTA, or road traffic accident. A truck crashes into two cars, trapping a woman. The fuel leaks all over the road. What a premise for the first turnout! I have turned out for RTAs many times, and saw with glee as they took out the hydraulic cutter to remove the door.
Wait a minute... did the Officer Commanding(Gurmit Singh) just turn out in the fire engine? OCs don't turn out in the fire engine! They have their own car! Its called an Inspection Vehicle. Its a car with beacon lights. And they don't standby in station 24 hours. They go HOME after office hours, and respond from there if there's a call. Anyway, back to the story.
Yes, yes. Get the poor girl out. Some man's smoking nearby, even with fuel all over the place. Strange, but hey, people do strange things. He drops his cigarette after being spotted, and the fire starts, spreading rapidly. The girl is dragged out, and the thing explodes. Its a bit drama for my taste. Ah, well. It is a dramatization, so no biggie. Make it as drama mama as you can.
If the episode had ended there, it would have been cool. Go on to the next call. But NOOOOO. They can't do that, can they? They can't keep it nice and simple. What usually happens after a fire call? We pack up our stuff fast as possible, and get the hell outta there before the press arrives and public starts to gather. We all know no one loves a good show like Singaporeans. And we don't want to be the ones to give them that show. Because honestly, for all the good we do, we just need the public to catch one thing we do that they don't agree with, they complain to the newspaper and the shit hits the fan at speed 10.
But, for some reason, a paramedic decides this is the time to pick a fight with her OC. Her Officer Commanding. The BIGGEST fish in the station. Oh... apparently they're getting married. Woah, man! A slap to the face! She gives him a tight slap to the face! In UNIFORM! In FRONT OF HIS MEN! In FREAKING PUBLIC! Now, i know the lovers have their spats. Maybe she wasn't happy with him risking his life and all that. So what. I saw that in Ladder 49(which i totally loved). But the difference is that SHE IS IN UNIFORM! HE IS IN UNIFORM! They are in the fire ground(what we call the place we turn out to)! Their priority should be to rescue and save lives! You don't disrespect your commanding officer in frnot of his men! How are his men going to respect him? If that happened in any station, the paramedic would be in for a huge disciplinary action. Maybe even fired for insubbordination. You simply do NOT slap your commanding officer! Not in uniform! She slaps him in public, he talks to her privately and tells her not do it. No action taken. I can't believe the OC did nothing. Its just... wrong. His men will lose all respect for him! They can do whatever they want after this! Whateer it is, this is still a uniform organisation!
Oh wait, a PMT(Paramedic Trainee, they are attached to the ambulances for months to gain experience before they become paramedics) needs help. Oh my goodness! He's panicking! He needs guidance. Man! She brushes him off! Apparently scolding with your OC/boyfriend for doing his job is more important than helping your poor PMT to do his!
Ah... its over. Now for talk, talk, talk. I never knew that the ambulance crew visited their casualties. The ambulances in my station turn out for more than 5 calls during some duties. Maybe they spend all their off days visiting their casualties. But you have to admit its kind of unlikely. People die everyday. If you're a paramedic, you can't afford to be attached to any case regardless of how bad it is. Ah, well. Mediacorp thinks differently, can't do anything about that.
I start to notice other things. Like did you know that in a firestation, the personnel are 70-80% malay? I could be wrong, but i didn't really notice malay personnel. The show is dominated by eurasian and chinese people! Oh, and one indian. I forgot.
Anyway, so the PMT is haunted by what happened, his lack of ability to save his casualty, and he's going crazy. Hmm... he asks his paramedic for help, but she's too busy being jealous with her OC talking to his ex to give him his full attention.
Hmm... talk, talk, talk, flashback flashback. Starting to get bored already. Oh, the casualty from the previous case is struggling without her missing leg out of bed and up the stairs.
ITS A SUICIDE! The next episode is going to have a suicide! I WANNA WATCH!
All in all, the most accurate part of the show is when the firemen are checking their appliances. I do that every morning of my duty. Its very accurate. I think i was observing them checking their appliances in the background as compared to listening to some paramedic talk to the indian section commander. Its very accurate. I have to count the hoses in that locker of the fire engine too. Very accurate.
All in all, the show is one of the worst and most inaccurate things to come out of mediacorp. Honestly. If not the worst. But i'm excited. I'm still going to watch it. Next week, its time for the SUICIDE! Bring out the Life Pack(air bag)! Call down the DART personnel! Time to rescue the suicidal girl! I can't wait!
KaBaBoom
