I Like Firemen

In a nice example of fact is stranger than fiction, our fire alarm went off last night. Now, in order for most of you to understand this, I will have to give you some background information, so here goes.
It al started on Wednesday... I experienced one of the most horrible Fire Safety Trainings I have ever experienced. You might think I haven't had that many, but at work we used to have them, and fire drills, quite often, and they were nothing like what I had to sit through on Wednesday. Everyone living in Halls or University Accommodation has to attend a Fire Safety talk this week, which I think is a really good precaution of the University. I, of course, was expecting a dull hour of University security people talking at us and showing us some lame-ass video. I was right about the video: there was a very obviously fake 'real-life' story thing made by the drama society, which was good at explaining what to do in case of a fire (and what not to do), but had immensely crap special effects. At one bit a girl catches on fire in the video, but it was so obviously fake most of the people in the room snickered. Not at the fact she was catching fire, mind, but at the 'CGI'.
When the video was over a Fireman stepped up and this is where the real fun started. He talked about how all students are stupid and all fires are caused by our carelessness, and NEVER by accident, there's ALWAYS some f*cking stupid student behind it!!! And then he said he was appalled by how every time they showed the video people would laugh at the bit where the girl burns, because if we'd seen what he'd seen we wouldn't think it funny. Out came the story about the Indian lady with the cheap sari that caught fire, and then, to top up the immense fun we were having, he showed us pictures. Yes, pictures of burnt people. Burnt because they were drunk and stupid or stoned and stupid.
All in all, I was holding back my tears at the end of it. I realise the need for fire safety and I can understand students can be more stupid than others, but this was just too much. I was really angry with that fireman, but my housemate (I'll get back to her in a minute) thought it was a hilarious meeting.
In any case, as I was cooking last night before going to Pirates of the Caribbean 2, with the fire door closed and the back door open to let out the cooking fumes, the fire alarm went off. I didn't think there was a real fire, but I turned of the hobs just in case, walked outside and called 999 as the man had told us to. I told them I didn't think there was a real fire but they sent a team anyways. After about 5 minutes of the alarm going off, the one housemate that was at home came out and said I should phone security as well, which I did. I found out that my housemate, obviously ignoring everything they had told us on Wednesday, had propped open the fire door with the bin and opened and the back door (which I had closed). So I closed them again and waited outside. When everyone arrived I felt very silly but also upset (because the fireman on Wednesday had said my Uni is close to not getting any fire brigade coverage because of the many hoax calls), but the firemen and the security men told me I had done the right thing and not to worry. They told off my housemate for not waiting outside, but she seemed to think the whole thing was a joke anyway, so I've decided to rely on myself rather than her in the case of an actual emergency.
We didn't find out why the alarm had gone off, but I have two possible theories:
1) because I had left the back door open, the steam from my cooking went through the back door, into the garden, and then through the toilet window back into the hallway. This is not a very good theory, as there wasn't that much steam from my cooking and it sounds a bit too complicated.
2) my stoner housemate (yes, the same one who thought everything extremely funny) was smoking up in her room and set off the fire alarm, but was too scared/dumb/not bothered to own up to it.
I am going for theory 2 until I get solid proof my housemate does not smoke up (but I am pretty sure she does).
In any case, the firemen were very nice and now that I realise they will be here very soon in case of a real emergency, they are in my good books again.