'A more authentic view of frontliners': Meet the team behind Tampines Fire Station's viral videos

SINGAPORE: The day global hit song Apt was released along with a dance challenge, Sergeant 2 (SGT2) Valerie Lim and her colleagues at Tampines Fire Station immediately began discussing if they should take up the social media challenge.

The next day, they selected four female paramedics to front a video done in a similar style to the song's music video and to be posted on the fire station's Instagram account. They added a couple of variations to the online dance challenge as well. 

That same day, they completed both the filming and the editing for the Instagram Reel. Warrant Officer 2 (WO2) Muhammad Nursyahrin Md Yunan said it was "our fastest ever", referring to the videos they put together and post on the social media channel.

SGT2 Lim, 23, an emergency medical technician, WO2 Nursyahrin, 32, a firefighter, and Corporal (CPL) Faris Azhari Ridzuan, 21, a full-time national serviceman, are Tampines Fire Station's social media ambassadors, the minds behind the viral videos that have pulled in millions of views. 

The most popular video on the station's Instagram account was a dance trend of South Korean artiste Moai's La La La. It has received more than 14 million views and more than 700,000 likes so far after it was posted in early December.

COMING UP WITH IDEAS, CHOOSING MODELS

Two to three years ago, fire stations started appointing their own social media ambassadors, SGT2 Lim recalled. 

She and her colleagues volunteered for the role and have been putting up posts and videos on the fire station's Instagram account since it went live in February 2023.

Speaking with CNA, the team of three ambassadors who have been doing this from the start said that they monitor popular social media trends and come up with ideas for their videos by "trendjacking".

Trendjacking is a form of content creation and marketing strategy to connect with audiences and draw attention to services or a brand. 

"We try to make the videos a little bit better so that our audience is able to understand the content better," SGT2 Lim said. 

Back when the three of them worked on the same shift, they could easily convene at the office to discuss the ideas they had for the month. 

Now, with different schedules and days off, the discussion among the trio has moved online, which can be "a bit chaotic", WO2 Nursyahrin said. 

Replies may be delayed or there may be different opinions on which trend they should do next. 

When that happens, the team usually takes a vote and the one with the most votes wins, he added.

Then, there are the times when a trend is "too hot to handle" and all three social media ambassadors would come to a unanimous decision to go ahead with it, such as with Apt. 

Filming a reel can take from a few minutes up to a couple of hours. One reel that took the team longer to film was the Double Life challenge inspired by American musician Pharrell Williams' song of the same name. 

The team members wanted to show their colleagues who are both emergency medical technicians and firefighters, CPL Faris said.

"That was one of the harder videos because that specific trend itself took a lot of takes that we had to match and cut, trying to show the differences, but also the similarities in the two vocations," he added. 

WO2 Nursyahrin said that the social media team generally aims to showcase in the videos the different vocations that they have at the fire station such as paramedics, hazardous materials (hazmat) specialists and firefighters.

The team also tries to show more of its colleagues in high-performance suits, since the Tampines Fire Station is one of six hazmat fire stations in Singapore.

The models – or talents as the social media team calls them – who are chosen for each video reel are important because they are to be showcased to the public, SGT2 Lim said.

They would usually ask their colleagues if they would like to take part in the videoshoot. For some videos such as the one based on Apt, the social media ambassadors "didn't really have to ask" because many people volunteered for it, CPL Faris said.

Otherwise, it can be "quite challenging" at times because some of their colleagues may feel shy to be in front of the camera, WO2 Nursyahrin said.

He also said that a lot of persuasion comes into play, though the team does not force anyone to take part. 

"We want to make our talents feel good and have a very good and enjoyable time filming with us. 

"We have a very good, positive vibe within the team. We want to make them as comfortable as possible and that clearly shows in the quality of videos that (we) produce," WO2 Nursyahrin added. 

FAVOURITE REELS

One such talent who became a favourite among online users was 20-year-old Lance Corporal (LCP) Ethan James Chang. 

He was featured in the station's take on the La La La trend, which he told CNA was the first dance video he had done for the team. 

Though he said that he was not a dancer, he was "pretty on board" with being a part of the reel. "The moves were quite simple to do, so I found them okay, manageable."

As for the most memorable reel he did, it was of the "microwave challenge", one of the many viral trends on video-sharing platform TikTok.

It involves a person sitting or standing while spinning, similar to a plate that is being heated up in a microwave oven. 

"It was really simple, straightforward. All I had to do was stand on the mat and strike different poses while the team just spun me around. Being so simple, it made the filming process really quick and easy," LCP Chang said.

CPL Faris' most memorable videoshoot was one that involved their colleagues in different vocations. 

"During the filming, I remember telling Syahrin and Valerie, like, wow, this is my favorite shoot so far. It was just a really wholesome moment, seeing everybody come together," he said. 

The filming went by smoothly and did not require many takes, he added. 

For SGT2 Lim, however, choosing just one reel that was her favourite was a difficult task. "It's like picking a favourite child," she said with a laugh.

SURPRISED BY RESPONSE FROM PUBLIC

Apart from coming up with ideas for the reels and starring in them at times, all three social media ambassadors also take charge of editing, producing and directing the videos. 

Of the trio, only CPL Faris has a background in social media. He has a diploma in mass communications and also has experience working as a videographer and editor for an agency as part of his internship. 

"My 'Encik' (commonly used to refer to warrant officers) basically heard that I have this background and straight away appointed me to Nursyahrin, saying, 'Hey, this guy has some background, I think you should consider'," CPL Faris recalled.

On the job, the trio generally share the workload and take turns editing each video. 

"That's what really helps us to not feel so stressed and I think that's what makes it really fun, because we are able to take (on) different parts for different videos," he added.

As someone who did not have any background in producing videos, WO2 Nursyahrin said that social media content creation can be picked up easily, especially with the help of the right mobile applications. 

Asked if it was difficult to juggle their roles as both a frontliner and a social media ambassador, SGT2 Lim said that it can be challenging but the three of them simply enjoy their job "a lot".

"We enjoy our primary role of saving lives and this additional responsibility of being a social media ambassador just adds more fun to our work life. 

"We get to work with everyone in the station … We make videos that rack up a mind-boggling number of views that we can never imagine, so it's all in good fun."

WO2 Nursyahrin said: "Even when it comes down to the nitty-gritty or even with the thumbnail itself, we take it very seriously and make sure that it resonates with the public." 

It did surprise them initially that their videos, especially those that involved dancing, were so well-received by the public. 

"Being firefighters and frontliners, sometimes our job scope is inherently very serious. So having these light-hearted, trendjacking reels and people liking them, honestly, that surprised me especially, and I'm very happy," WO2 Nursyahrin said.

CPL Faris said that they are grateful for the support from the public and community.

"We take a lot of pride in the work we do as frontliners and it makes us feel like we are able to make a true difference in people's lives. 

"But the engagement as well as the views on our Instagram page show us that the public is really interested in knowing more about us as well as the emergency services that SCDF (Singapore Civil Defence Force) provides," he added.

FAMILIES AND FRIENDS ARE FANS

It is not just the public – those close to the social media team outside of work are their supporters as well.

CPL Faris' friends and family often like and repost the videos and they tell him that he is doing a good job.

They will also always be the first ones to comment on the videos when he is featured in them.

In LCP Chang's case, when he appears in the reels, his parents would share them "everywhere", including to extended family members and their friends, he said. His own friends often joke that he is a celebrity now.

The firefighter had been recognised by members of the public, asking him if he was from Tampines Fire Station.

LCP Chang said that it was "strange" to get recognised in public. "It's just a new experience for me." 

He said that one of the main purposes of the reels is to promote the station's open house that is held every Saturday, which aims to educate the public on the station's operations, equipment, drills and duties. 

The team also observed that since the reels gained traction online, more people have been turning up to their weekly open houses to see them, SGT2 Lim said. 

"They will (ask), 'Oh, where are the Apt girls? Where's Ethan James (LCP Chang)? Where's Syahrin (WO2 Nursyahrin)?" she added.

WO2 Nursyahrin said that visitors would tell them how much they enjoy the reels because they manage to show the "other side of being in a uniform". "It's really nice to hear that," he added.

It has also been fun for the team to read the online comments, some even from social media users living outside of Singapore. 

The frequent comment that the team is always happy to see is "we want more". 

"The social media content presents a wholesome or a more authentic view of frontliners, be they paramedics or firefighters," WO2 Nursyahrin said.

CPL Faris said: "At the end of the day, we just really want to show that we are regular people who also enjoy each other's company as well as the opportunity to share a laugh together."