Fire chiefs have made clear their determination to pursue hoax callers.
Their message comes after a sheriff ordered a spurned Angus Romeo to pay the £600 cost of a false alarm call to the home of the woman who dampened his ardour.
Christopher Brown had pestered the woman to the point she called police.
After a night’s drinking he then poured out his troubles to a cabbie, who was also a retained Kirriemuir firefighter, and who was part of a town crew called to a false alarm at the woman’s home.
Brown, 27, of Grampian Crescent, Kirriemuir, had previously admitted making calls from town phone boxes falsely stating that there was a fire in a house in Cortachy Crescent on August 10.
The court had heard the accused and the woman shared texts and Facebook messages as well as going out with friends, but that she asked police to speak to Brown when she became unhappy about his continuing pursuit of her.
Brown’s agent said the accused understood the woman’s position and the impact of making a malicious call to the fire service.
Imposing a £626 compensation order in favour of Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Sheriff Gregor Murray ordered Brown to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, telling him: “Somebody could have been put in danger because of your idiotic behaviour”.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service group manager for Perth and Kinross, Rab Middlemiss said: “While we are responding to these hoax calls, a house fire, road traffic collision or other emergency incident requiring the attendance of the Fire and Rescue Service could be developing elsewhere.
“This could delay the response of firefighters and cost precious seconds and minutes, which could put lives in our communities at risk.”
He added: “All 999 calls are recorded and we now have the technology to trace all calls even those from mobile phones. Individuals making hoax calls who are identified could have their phone cut off or their SIM cards disabled, and may be taken to court, resulting in prosecution and a criminal record.
“Making hoax 999 calls is an offence, and if found guilty a person could receive a substantial fine and/or a custodial sentence, which at present is £5,000 and/or three months in prison.
“We have a record of all hoax calls made, their location and the telephone number used, and regularly and routinely liaise and share data with the police on this matter.
“The emergency services take the making of hoax calls very seriously, and people who make these calls can expect to be caught.”
The key points to remember if you are ever tempted to make a hoax call:
* All 999 calls are recorded and can be traced in seconds
* All hoax fire calls are investigated
* Hoax fire calls from mobiles and landlines may result in your phone being disconnected
* Making a Hoax 999 call is a crime do it and you’re risking a custodial sentence and a substantial fine
* Hoax calls cost lives fire crews responding to hoax calls can’t be available for real emergencies, so whose life are you putting on the line? It could be your family
* Hoax calls create unnecessary risk to fire crews and to members of the public when appliances are responding under emergency conditions
* The cost to local and national economies is huge, reaching many millions of pounds a year