When hundreds of eggs were splattered on Orchard Road last week, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was activated to clean up the "spillage", which covered an area of about 15m by 1m (Cartons of eggs fall off vehicle on Orchard Road; ST Online, July 27).

The SCDF team used a water jet to take care of the problem. But how is this an emergency?

Time and again, the SCDF has been called upon to carry out operations like cleaning oil spillages on roads and rescuing people trapped in lifts.

When there is no real emergency, the SCDF is often not the best choice.

The National Environment Agency oversees the cleaning of roads and should have the resources to deal with unexpected events like oil spills and eggs splattering.

Lack of information is probably a big reason why people call the SCDF in such situations. Many do not know who else they can call.

Public education should be conducted to reduce the misuse of the SCDF, so that our emergency service can be dispatched more quickly and effectively in response to true needs.

Loong Chik Tong