By the third day of his firefighting course at the Civil Defence Academy, trainee "Ah Yu" was already in trouble with his superiors.

He argued with the sergeant, slacked off during drills and did not seem to care for the rules.

The course instructor, First Warrant Officer (1WO) Abu Bakar Hussin, 51, had no choice but to punish "Ah Yu" with confinement just days before Chinese New Year, as portrayed in the Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) short festive skit released on Thursday.

The film is based on 1WO Abu Bakar's real-life experience with an unnamed trainee back in 2015.

And just as it is portrayed in the video, 1WO Abu Bakar had pulled the trainee aside to find out what was bothering him.

"He told me everything about his family, and cried," said 1WO Abu Bakar.

The trainee's father had died when he was young and his mother was constantly working, so he often felt that nobody cared for him, said 1WO Abu Bakar.

"I tried to comfort him, to get him to think positively."

1WO Abu Bakar told the trainee to see things from his mother's perspective and to buck up for the sake of his younger sister.

Several days later, on Chinese New Year's Eve, 1WO Abu Bakar decided to dismiss the trainee from his confinement.

"I told him, I'll let you go back and celebrate Chinese New Year because I know it's important for you, but I'll deal with you when you come back," said 1WO Abu Bakar.

It was this gesture of goodwill that helped sweeten their relationship, he said, and he witnessed how the trainee changed for the better.

Over time, the trainee would dutifully carry out instructions and could even instruct his own course-mates. At the end of the three-month course, 1WO Abu Bakar said he was so glad to see the recruit hugging his mother.

This heart-warming encounter was exactly the type of tale the SCDF's media production unit was looking for, said the film's producer, management executive Mohammad Masri Abdul Rahman.

The six-minute film took one month to shoot and produce.

Mr Mohammad Masri said he hopes it brings across values such as the importance of discipline and respect for elders. These are qualities that course instructors try to instil in their trainees.

Said 1WO Abu Bakar: "When SCDF is called to an emergency incident, our servicemen must all be able to depend on one another and everyone must know their tasks very well. We have to prepare them to be leaders."