Hot Swiss firemen danced and rapped to hip-hop beats in a music video, promoting awareness of the country's new hotline and directory assistance numbers. Firefighters from four local Swiss fire teams - some wearing hot pants - star in the "118 Projec't" video.

The video became an instant hit on YouTube and has since been remixed and covered by other budding artists. The Swiss fire department's hotline, 118, has remained unchanged even after the country's directory assistance numbers were converted into a series of four-digit numbers, all starting with 18.

Because of the changes, the Swiss fire department began receiving an average of 20 calls a day from people seeking directory assistance.

Concerned by the fact that the critical emergency line could be tied up by wayward callers, five young firefighters promoted their number through rap lyrics. Lieutenant General Raymond Wicky of the Geneva fire service noted, "They chose rap because it is spoken and not sung, because clearly they are not singers."