My block caught fire yesterday. And I was the hero who reported it. Ok, to be more precise, when I reached my block I saw smoke, so I went to check where the smoke came from, while my mother called the neighbourhood police post. The guy who received the call couldn't speak mandarin, so she gave me the phone instead.

And 15 minutes later, people from the civil defence force came with hoses and extinguished the fire. 15 minutes! That's really quite fast.

However, according to my mother, the smoke started appearing 30 minutes before I reached home, so someone else probably reported it already.

This brings us to the question: Did I cause the SCDF to come? Whatever the case, there is an apparant correlation between the arrival of the SCDF and my report, so I'm still a hero.

Oh, and when I reported, The conversation went like this:

"There is smoke coming out of the rubbish chute in my block."
"Okay, so it's a case of fire ah... where is your block?"
" *my address* "
"Okay can I have your name and contact number please?"
" *my name*"
"Contact number?"
"Oh just my home number would do."
"ok. *pause* what's your home number?"
"Oh. *home number*"
"Ok, we'll report it to the relevent avenue. Thank you."

2 things:

1. I didn't say there was a fire! I only said got smoke... Later if no fire then they come and find me how?

2. When I was young my mother told me not to dial prank calls to 999 or 995 (not that I did). She said that once I dial they can track my call down and the police can find out my number and where I live. I thought this was true, as in, maybe at least I supposed the police would have caller ID...

But should have what! Scarly like someone call
"Hello, Police? There is someone who AAAAAAAAAAARRGH *hangs up*"
Then the police would feel so helpless lor. At least should have caller ID.

Or maybe it's just the NPP that is not as advanced. Or maybe like if I don't dare to give my name and contact number then they'll treat it as a prank call case or something. That sounds plausible. But that may not be true. It may forever remain a mystery as to why they needed to ask for my home number.