Fire is a Generic Call Incident featured in 911 Operator. This call has three different storylines, all involving a passerby calling to report a fire. The fire may occur at a garage, inside someone's house, or in a trash container. In all three cases, there is great randomality involving the intensity of the fire and other situational elements.
As a Generic Call, Fire may be triggered at any time during Free Play mode.
During Career play, this call may occur multiple times.
NOTE: There are two different script files for this call, and both are included with the game. Though very similar, there are still several important differences between them, including the sex of the caller, the text itself, and even a unique surprise ending. This article is about the older version of the call, in which the caller is male.
See also: Fire (Female Caller)
Opening Lines[]
This call may begin with either of two different responses from the caller.
| Speaker | Line |
|---|---|
| Operator | "911, what's your emergency?" |
| Caller | "I want to report a fire." |
| "There's a fire here!" |
Randomized Plot Structure[]
This call has three distinct plots, depending on where the fire has erupted. Each of the three storylines leads to multiple questions, some specific to that storyline and some common to all storylines. The caller's response to each question is randomized, and each response may have its own effect on the size of the fire, and/or add more elements to be resolved. Most caller responses change nothing, but some make the fire worse, and only a few actually improve the situation.
The flow of the conversation can be described as follows:
Intro: Common to all plotlines, the intro includes asking for the address of the fire, and what is actually burning. This has an 33% chance to lead into any of the three plots.
Plot 1: Trash Fire: There is a 20% chance that the burning object is trash (making this the least common of the three scenarios). The trash might be in a pile or inside a bin or dumpster. Trash fire in general is easier to put out compared to other fires, with trash piles being even easier to put out.
Plot 2: Garage Fire: There is a 40% chance that the burning object is a parking lot or private parking space - harder to put out than trash, but easier thana house. Asking whether any cars are inside is likely to add a burning car to the scene, or just make the fire worse.
Plot 3: House File: There is a 40% chance that the burning object is someone's living room. Asking whether anyone is inside is likely to add either one or two injured people to the scene, complicating the emergency response.
Additionally, each plot allows access to the same three "supplemental" questions regarding the size of the fire and other hazards it might cause. These include:
- Size of the Fire: Could be large, medium or small (33% chance each), affecting the amount of work required to put the fire out.
- Flammables: 50% of flammables in the area, making the fire grow much larger the more time it takes units to respond.
- Spread: The fire could be spreading, burning out, or not changing (33% chance each), making the fire larger or smaller the more time it takes units to respond. If the fire is burning out, it could die off by itself (units still need to reach the incident); however this is a case where you can simply IGNORE the call.
Each storyline can be terminated at any point by simply telling the caller to wait for emergency units or telling him that the call isn't urgent (it doesn't matter which). As such, since the caller's responses to questions are the only thing that can makes the situation better or worse, it is actually better to ask as few questions as possible. This is why the "Optimal Conversation" below instructs you to only ask the one question that poses the least amount of risk.
Reputation[]
This plot sets its Reputation reward at +2 at the very start of the conversation. After this, only very few (randomized) responses can change it at all.
| Dialog Choice | Resolve Call Reputation | Ignore Call Reputation |
|---|---|---|
| (ANSWER CALL) | +2 | |
| Fire is burning out (Plots 1 and 2 only) | Set to -2 | Set to 2 |
| People trapped in burning building (Plot 3 only) | +1 | |
| Maximum possible: | 3 | 2 |
The highest reward is given for saving people from a burning building, but it is only 1 point higher than just putting out a fire, while being much more risky and requiring more units (a medical team). As a result, it is best to avoid even asking whether there are people inside the building at all (thus ensuring that there aren't).
Ignoring the Call[]
It is possible to ignore the call for +2 Reputation if it turns out that the fire is dying out on its own. There is a 33% chance of this in Plots 1 and 2, simply by asking the caller IS THE FIRE SPREADING?. If the answer is that the fire is burning out on its own, you can IGNORE the call as soon as he's done speaking and your dialogue options come up.
Note that this is not possible at all during Plot 3. Instead, asking the same question in this plot has a 50% chance of exacerbating the fire and 50% chance of doing nothing at all.
Intro[]
The call begins with a short introduction where you must determine the caller's address and the nature of the fire.
Summary[]
A man calls 911 to report that he had spotted a fire. The operator quickly acquires the address to send response units, while asking the caller what exactly is burning.
Optimal Conversation: Intro[]
| Speaker | Dialogue | Extra Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | 911, what's your emergency? | Reputation +2 |
| Caller | I want to report a fire. | 50% chance. |
| There's a fire here! | 50% chance. Plot 1: Trash Fire is DISABLED for this call. | |
ADDRESS?
| ||
| Operator | Where are you, sir? | |
| Caller | In front of <address> |  Location discovered.
|
WHAT'S BURNING?
| ||
| Operator | So what's on fire? | |
| Caller | Some garbage... | 40% chance. * Skip to Plot 1 conversation. |
| It's a garage. | 30% chance. * Skip to Plot 2 conversation. | |
| I guess it's a living room... | 30% chance. * Skip to Plot 3 conversation. | |
* Since Plot 1 can be disabled in the opening line, its actual chance of triggering per call is only 20%. If it is disabled, plots 2 and 3 have an equal 50% chance each.
Plot 1[]
This plot has a 50% chance to be disabled outright in the very opening line of the call. If not disabled, it has a 40% chance of triggering.
Summary[]
The caller reports that the burning object is simply trash. The operator inquires whether the trash is just lying out in the open, or whether it is inside a trash bin or dumpster. The operator asks several other questions to determine the size of the necessary fire response, and instructs the caller to wait for emergency vehicles.
On Site[]
|
FIRE (Plot 1: Trash Fire) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Name | Actions | Notes | ||
|
Caller | Always male. Resolved by Default. | |||
|
Fire | 
|
Fire Work | 100 sec. | |
- On arrival, units will find the caller standing close to the fire he reported.
- The caller is Resolved by default, and requires no interaction.
- This plot adds +50 Fire Work seconds to the Fire element by default, so it actually starts at 150 seconds of work. However, if the trash was reported to be in an open pile, it takes only 130 seconds of work to resolve.
- The amount of Fire Work required to put out the fire may be further affected by answers to questions asked by the operator during the phone conversation. Some answers increase or decrease the work by a set amount; whereas others cause the fire to start spreading, increasing the Work based on the amount of time it takes firefighters to begin putting it out. See Fire Changes below for more information.
Optimal Conversation: Plot 1[]
| Speaker | Dialogue | Extra Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Continuing from Intro conversation... | ||
| Operator | Is that garbage placed in some sort of container or a trash bin? | Fire Work +50 sec.
|
| Caller | No, it's just a pile of rubbish. | 33% chance. Fire Work -20 sec.
|
| It's in the trash can. | 33% chance. | |
| A large dumpster is burning. | 33% chance. | |
IS THE FIRE SPREADING?
| ||
| Operator | Is the fire spreading anywhere? | |
| Caller | Hm, actually, it looks like it's burning out. | 25% chance. Reputation -2. Ignore Reputation +2. Fire  Growth set to -0.5.
|
| I don't think so. | 37.5% chance. Fire Growth set to 0.
| |
| Yes. | 37.5% chance. Fire Growth +5.
| |
THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE COMING
| ||
| Operator | The fire department is on the way. | |
| Caller | Okay. Goodbye. | Call ended. |
Continuing from Here[]
If the fire is burning out, IGNORE the call to receive +2 Reputation instantly. You can do so as soon as the option THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE COMING appears, as there is no need to properly end the conversation at all.
Otherwise, send at least one unit of Firefighters to handle the fire. If the caller answered that the fire is spreading, you'll need to reach the fire quickly (20 seconds or less) before it starts growing at a rate of +5 Fire Work seconds per second on the clock. Otherwise there isn't much of a rush.
Choices to Avoid[]
Avoid asking any questions other than IS THE FIRE SPREADING?. They give very little chance of reducing the severity of the fire, and a major chance of making it worse.
Plot 2: Garage[]
This plot has either a 30% or 40% chance to trigger, depending on whether or not Plot 1 was disabled in the Intro.
Summary[]
The caller reports that the fire has broken out in a "garage". The operator attempts to disambiguate the word by asking the caller what meaning of the word "garage" he's referring to - it could be a private garage next to a house, an above-ground parking lot, or an underground parking lot.
After determining this, the operator inquires whether any cars are on fire, and then asks several procedural questions to determine the severity of the fire itself. Firefighters are then dispatched to correspond to the incident.
On Site[]
|
|
FIRE (Plot 2: Garage Fire) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Name | Actions | Notes | ||
|
|
Caller | Always male. Resolved by Default. | |||
|
|
Fire |
|
Fire Work | 100 sec. | |
| Initially disabled elements (may become active depending on conversation or other events) | |||||
|
|
Car on fire |
|
Fire Work | 100 sec. | |
- On arrival, units will find the caller standing close to the fire he reported.
- The caller is Resolved by default, and requires no interaction.
- This plot adds +120 Fire Work seconds to the Fire element by default, so it actually starts at 220 seconds of work.
- The amount of Fire Work required to put out the fire may be further affected by answers to questions asked by the operator during the phone conversation. Some answers increase or decrease the work by a set amount; whereas others cause the fire to start spreading, increasing the Work based on the amount of time it takes firefighters to begin putting it out. See Fire Changes below for more information.
- If the caller was asked whether the fire has reached any cars parked nearby, a second Fire element may be added to the scene ("Car on fire"). Firefighters will then need to handle this element separately, making the scene more difficult to resolve. An additional unit may be necessary.
Optimal Conversation: Plot 2[]
| Speaker | Dialogue | Extra Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Continuing from Intro conversation... | ||
| Operator | What kind of a garage is it? | Fire Work +120 sec.
|
| Caller | It's the garage, next to the house. | 33% chance. |
| It's a parking garage. | 33% chance. | |
| It's an underground garage. | 33% chance. | |
IS THE FIRE SPREADING?
| ||
| Operator | Is the fire spreading anywhere? | |
| Caller | Hm, actually, it looks like it's burning out. | 25% chance. Reputation -2. Ignore Reputation +2. Fire Growth set to -0.5.
|
| I don't think so. | 37.5% chance. Fire Growth set to 0.
| |
| Yes. | 37.5% chance. Fire Growth +5.
| |
THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE COMING
| ||
| Operator | The fire department is on the way. | |
| Caller | Okay. Goodbye. | Call ended. |
Continuing from Here[]
If the fire is burning out, IGNORE the call to receive +2 Reputation instantly. You can do so as soon as the option THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE COMING appears, as there is no need to properly end the conversation at all.
Otherwise, send at least one unit of Firefighters to handle the fire. If the caller answered that the fire is spreading, you'll need to reach the fire quickly (20 seconds or less) before it starts growing at a rate of +5 Fire Work seconds per second on the clock. Otherwise there isn't much of a rush.
Choices to Avoid[]
Avoid asking any questions other than IS THE FIRE SPREADING?. They give very little chance of reducing the severity of the fire, and a major chance of making it worse.
Most importantly, avoid asking ANY CARS?, as this has a substantial chance (up to 50%!) to add a second fire element to the scene, requiring an extra 100 seconds of Fire Work.
Plot 3: House Fire[]
This plot has either a 30% or 40% chance to trigger, depending on whether or not Plot 1 was disabled in the Intro.
This is typically the most difficult of the three plots, especially if the phone conversation is handled carelessly (asking too many questions).
Summary[]
The caller reports that the fire is inside a living-room. The operator first asks whether it's a house or apartment, and then inquires about the caller's safety. The caller himself is fine and outside the building, but he may report that there might be someone inside.
After determining the size and severity of the fire, the operator sends firefighters and medical units to the location, where the fight a dangerous fire and (if necessary) rescue up to two persons trapped inside.
On Site[]
or 
|
FIRE (Plot 3: House Fire) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Name | Actions | Notes | ||
|
|
Caller | Always male. Resolved by Default. | |||
|
|
Fire |
|
Fire Work | 100 sec. | |
| Initially disabled elements (may become active depending on conversation or other events) | |||||
|
Tenant (1) | 
|
Hit Points | 60 | Blocked by Fire.
|
|
Bleeding | -0.5/sec | |||
|
|
Tenant (2) |
|
Hit Points | 100 | Blocked by Fire.
|
|
|
Bleeding | -0.3/sec | |||
- On arrival, units will find the caller outside, the house on fire, and up to two tenants injured and trapped inside by the flames.
- The caller is Resolved by default, and requires no interaction.
- This plot adds +150 Fire Work seconds to the Fire element by default, so it actually starts at 250 seconds of work.
- The amount of Fire Work required to put out the fire may be further affected by answers to questions asked by the operator during the phone conversation. Some answers increase or decrease the work by a set amount; whereas others cause the fire to start spreading, increasing the Work based on the amount of time it takes firefighters to begin putting it out. See Fire Changes below for more information.
- If the caller was asked whether anyone is inside the building, there is a 37.5% chance that one tenant is inside, and 25% percent chance that two tenants are inside. Both are injured and bleeding, which means they require treatment and transport to hospital. To make matters worse, both tenants are blocked by the Fire, which must be put out before treating them. On the upside, resolving a scenario with at least one injured tenant rewards +3 Reputation instead of the normal +2, but this is a relatively minor bonus considering the danger.
- If present, the first (or only) tenant is already quite injured, and bleeding at a rate of -0.5/sec. This gives you only 120 seconds to end the conversation, reach the site, put out the fire, and rescue them. This could be difficult to do if the fire happens to be raging out of control for any reason.
- The second tenant, if present, is significantly less injured and bleeding much more slowly, giving you more than 300 seconds to rescue them, which shouldn't be too much of a problem.
- All in all, it is best to send a well-equipped and/or highly skilled firefighting unit, with a firefighting vehicle (e.g. a Fire Truck) and multiple crew, as well as an ambulance capable of transporting as many tenants as reported in the conversation. If you can't spare a good unit (or it is too far away to reach in time), consider sending two or more firefighting units to take care of the fire quickly.
Optimal Conversation: Plot 3[]
| Speaker | Dialogue | Extra Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Continuing from Intro conversation... | ||
| Operator | I need you to be more specific, sir? Is the room in a house or an apartment? | Fire Work +150 sec.
|
| Caller | It's part of the house. | 50% chance. |
| It's situated in apartment building. | 50% chance. | |
IS THE FIRE SPREADING?
| ||
| Operator | Is the fire spreading anywhere? | |
| Caller | I don't think so. | 50% chance. Fire Growth set to 0.
|
| Yes. | 50% chance. Fire Growth +5.
| |
THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE COMING
| ||
| Operator | The fire department is on the way. | |
| Caller | Okay. Goodbye. | Call ended. |
Choices to Avoid[]
Avoid asking any questions other than IS THE FIRE SPREADING?. They give very little chance of reducing the severity of the fire, and a major chance of making it worse.
Most importantly, avoid asking ANYONE INSIDE?, as this has a 33% chance to add an injured tenant to the scene, and another 25% chance to add two of them. While this increases the reward for resolving the call to +3 Reputation, it's not worth the trouble.
Fire Changes[]
Some questions asked by the operator during the phone conversation have a chance to alter the size and ferocity of the Fire element in the scene.
Caller responses can either increase or decrease the Fire Work required to put out the fire by a set number of seconds; or they can make the fire grow (or diminish) at a constant rate, until such time that firefighters arrive and start putting it out.
Fire Work Changes[]
Fire Work is the number of "work seconds" it takes to put out a fire. For example, if a fire has 300 Fire Work seconds, then a firefighter who can do 1/s of work will take 300 seconds to put it out. Note that most firefighters work much faster than 1/s, and multiple firefighters can work on the same fire; so it'll usually take much less time than that to resolve the fire element.
At the start of the plot, the Fire element has 100 Fire Work Seconds. The following dialogue lines trigger changes to this value:
| Operator choice | Caller Response | Fire Work Change |
|---|---|---|
WHAT'S BURNING?
|
"Some garbage..." | +50 |
| "It's a garage." | +120 | |
| "I guess it's a living room..." | +150 | |
HOW BIG IS THE FIRE?
|
"Pretty big! The flames are shooting up 10, maybe 15 feet!" | +100 |
| "It's kind of big, like the size of a bonfire." | +50 | |
| "It's hard to tell. There's a lot of smoke..." | -50 | |
IS IT SECURED? (Plot 1)
|
"No, it's just a pile of rubbish." | -20 |
Fire Growth[]
Fire Growth is a more complicated value, determining how fast the fire's "Work Seconds" grow over time when the fire is left to burn. Initially, the fire in this scenario is set to 0 Growth, which means it won't grow nor diminish at all when left unattended.
If the Fire Growth is increased to a positive value greater than 0, the fire will begin to grow at a rate equal to its Growth value. For example, a fire with a Growth value of +3 will grow at a rate of 3 per second. After 10 seconds it will take 10*3=30 seconds longer to put out. After 100 seconds it will take 100*3=300 seconds longer to put out, and so on.
Note that you have a 20 second "grace period" before the fire's intensity begins to increase.
As soon as firefighters start putting out the fire, its growth will stop completely. However if they stop putting out the fire for any reason, it'll start growing again at the same rate as before.
Decreasing the Fire Growth value below 0 has an opposite effect, making the fire easier to put out the longer it is left unattended. Leave it long enough, and it'll literally burn itself out. The exact calculation used to determine how quickly this happens is unclear; it's possible that the fire is first multiplied by the absolute of its Growth value, then begins to decrease from there. Whatever the case may be, the fire will become significantly less intense within a matter of seconds, and will eventually resolve itself without any intervention from firefighters.
The following is a list of caller responses that alter the fire's Growth rate:
| Operator choice | Caller Response | Fire Growth Change |
|---|---|---|
ANY FLAMMABLES AROUND?
|
"Yes." | +2 |
IS THE FIRE SPREADING?
|
"Yes." | +5 |
| "I don't think so." | Reset to 0. | |
| "Hm, actually, it looks like it's burning out." | Set to -0.5 | |
ANY CARS? (Plot 2)
|
"Yes, obviously, there are quite a few of them" | +3 |
After Action Report[]
| Condition ID | If... | After-Action Report Text |
|---|---|---|
| Story | Always | "The caller reported a fire." |
| Inside | Caller reported at least one person inside the burning building. (Plot 3) | "People were inside the burning building." |
| Nosend | IT'S NOT URGENT
|
"The operator decided that there is no need to send emergency services." |
| Nobody | Caller reported the burning building was empty. (Plot 3) | "Nobody was inside burning building." |