Firefighting Guide
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(I know there's other firefighting guides - but I wanted to take my own crack at one.
I believe this extra detail is worth it, but if any moderators disagree, you can delete this thread and I won't make a fuss about it.)
About
=======The Responsibilities: In this job, you are tasked with traveling to the location of a fire and put out individual flames with your fire extinguisher. Each flame you put out earns you money.
The Reason: I consider this job special for two reasons. One, you aren't just driving from circular node to circular node like so many other jobs do - you actually see the flames and watch them disappear as you put them out. This helps make it feel more "real". Two, it's not a solo job like most other jobs. The fire you help put out is the same fire for all other firefighters, and the more firefighters present, the quicker it will be put out. This helps you feel more involved and less alone when working to earn money.
The Requirements: You get an extinguisher when taking the job. You can travel to the fires with any vehicle you own. Nothing else is needed.
How to be a Firefighter:
===============1) Go to the fire station in San Fierro. Use /gps if you're having trouble locating it.
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2) Go to the orange node on the left to accept the job. Choose the skin you want. (I personally like the third one since it's labelled as San Fierro Fire Department, and most of the fires are in San Fierro, so it makes sense.)
3) If you need a vehicle, go to the green node and buy a Firetruck - they're very cheap at $5,000. Additionally,
you can recover your Firetruck to you at any time without VIP if you are a firefighter. This is especially useful if you're not VIP and you get stranded. Do keep in mind, however, that you cannot drive the Firetruck when you're not a firefighter.
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4) Drive to the location of the current fire. This is shown on your radar as a bright red, tall, rectangular blip.
5) Approach a flame with your extinguisher equipped and
click once. If you do this correctly, you will spurt a single "ammo" of extinguisher and freeze in place for a few seconds, followed by the flame disappearing and a success tone sounding.
6) Repeat step 5 until the fire is put out, and wait for the next fire to be announced. Once it is, travel there and continue as before. You will earn money per flame put out - thus your financial gain is based on your own performance, not all firefighters as a whole.
FAQ / Common Mistakes
=====================I'm spraying the fire a bunch but it won't go out?!?!This is by far the most common mistake I see with new firefighters.
Do not click and hold the shoot command when using the extinguisher. Instead, stand near the flame and
click once, as mentioned in the instructions above. Yes, it looks silly for you to spray a tiny bit, stand motionless for a few seconds, and then the flame vanishes - but that's just how the script works.
Can I use the Firetruck's nozzle to put out fires?As cool as that would be.... no. It might be added in a future update, but for now, the Firetruck is good for transportation only.
I put out a flame but didn't get any cash!Since you'll be putting out flames rather quickly, the server doesn't report income every single time you put out a flame. Instead, it tallies your flames put out every five seconds or so and credits the amount, which you'll see in the bottom right. So for example, if your current level gives you $300 per flame, and you put out five flames in that timespan, you'll see an income of $1,500 in the bottom right of your screen.
Should I help my fellow firefighters by putting out fires alongside them?I don't recommend this, because if two firefighters try to put out the same flame, the faster one will get the credit while the slower one gets nothing. For this reason, I prefer to stay a short distance away from the others so every flame I choose will be put out by me.
Why aren't the other firefighters using Firetrucks?While using them is more realistic and fun, a lot of players will opt to use something faster, like cars or helicopters or even Jets. This is mainly because the fire is active and ready to be put out the moment its location is revealed, so the sooner you get there, the more fires you can put out before it's moving location again.
Wait, that's not fair! How can I put out fires if I can't buy an expensive car or jet?It's a flaw of the job, unfortunately. In the future there might be a change to nullify this issue, but until you can get a fast vehicle, I recommend asking if you can ride with another firefighter. (I personally am always willing to give firefighters rides with my Maverick or Raindance helicopters.)
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So should I get a fast vehicle?Depends. If you are all about the money earning, then it might be a good idea. But there's merit in having fun with the job by legitimately driving a firetruck too.
Miscellaneous Tips
============Take the online course! It's not an expensive investment in the long run, because passing this course allows you to put out fires at a much faster rate, and saves you lots of time (and thus money). You can access the course by pressing X, clicking yourself, and choosing the Online Courses option.
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Entertain yourself. While it's more interactive than other jobs on the server, it still can get monotonous pretty fast, especially if there are no other firefighters helping you. Put on some music or radio, or a video to watch on another screen while you work. If you want to feel like a proper firefighter, use a Firetruck - and use the H key when driving to sound your sirens if you want to.
Lock or despawn your vehicle when firefighting. Yep, there will be morons trying to jack your ride when you're not looking, especially if it's expensive. Sometimes they'll wreck it and force you to repair it. If you give other firefighters rides, make sure to lock the vehicle or despawn it once you arrive - or pay attention to the notification at the top of the screen that alerts you when someone enters your vehicle so you can hide it. (If you're VIP, this isn't a big issue, since you can recover your vehicle to you.)
For optimal arrival speed, gravitate towards the center of San Fierro between fires. There are fire locations in several out-of-city locations from San Fierro, but generally most of the fires will be in the city itself. So when you finish putting out a fire outside of the city, head back towards San Fierro as you wait for the next fire. In most cases, this will put you closer to it before it's announced. It can also help kill time as you wait for the fire location to appear.
Have fun with your fellow firefighters! Or at the very least, try talking with them. The job becomes much less boring when you're riding together between fires and having a good conversation in the process of firefighting.
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(If you have any questions, suggestions, critique, etc. , feel free to comment. Keep in mind I made this guide for fun, in hopes it helps out any newbies or unfamiliar folks coming to this forum section for information on this job, or jobs in general.)
