Best way to put out fires

[qwert_44643]

IM just looking for tips on putting out fires as my crew and ship keep getting destroyed.

[Mazey]

Open the airlocks and vent the rooms.

[Bravo]

IMO in order:
1. Vent the room. Also disable O2 system temporarily (right click), depending on overall O2 levels for a faster vent. If the room has only 1 square of fire, and the room is deprived of O2 before half a bar of 'damage' has been dealt, then the fire will generally go out without inflicting a full bar of damage - preventing further system damage from fire until you have refilled the O2 in the room. You can also use vented rooms as fire breaks, just be mindful of O2 levels and crew hp if doing this.
2. Rockmen. These guys are immune to fire so can stay in the room dispersing fire extinguishers until the fire causes all the O2 to be exhausted, at which point they can survive in the O2 deprived area for a significant time period due to extra hp.
3. Engys. These guys have improved repair which I think extends to faster fire suppression. Just be mindful to watch their hp.
4. System repair drone. These guys have the same repair rate as the engy IIRC, but are also immune to fire IIRC. Downside is that it costs a power bar.
5. Non-Zoltan crew. The rest of the guys go here (crystals would have a slight lead due to extra hp), these would then be followed by the zoltan crew (fewer hp).
6. Breach bombing yourself. Requires power and time for the room to vent. You then have to heal a hull breach instead. Requires a weapon slot. Requires you to not miss yourself.

[Drain]

Vent it to space. With a path leading out to space, rooms will suck empty VERY fast. No oxygen=no fire. Simple physics; fire consumes oxygen and needs it to sustain or grow. This is usually the best method for putting out fires since it's fast if you simply open doors during pause and you don't have to move crew over them to take damage.

Failing that, you could put Engi, Rocks, or Droids on it. The Engi put out fires 2x as fast; making them the best at it. They will take damage, but the fire will go out very quickly. Rockmen do not burn, making them a good alternate if you don't want to move skilled Engi off rooms or simply don't have any. Repair Droids also can't burn, can't suffocate, and will put out fires to repair while active. They don't move very fast though, so using one by itself might not be a full proof solution. Note that Zoltan are the WORST for putting out fires due to having less health. Don't do this unless you're desperate.

[Drain]

Originally posted by Bravo:

IMO in order:

3. Engys. These guys have improved repair which I think extends to faster fire suppression. Just be mindful to watch their hp.

It does. They put out fires 2x as fast as anyone else. Putting out fires is counted as "repairing", as is sealing hull breaches or fixing damaged rooms. This 2x speed makes them the best for doing it. They will take damage, unlike the Rockmen, but it's neglectable when you put them out 2x as fast. Engi also move 2x as fast as Rockmen, so it doesn't take them half a day to get to the fires then the other half to put it out. Rockmen are a good secondary choice if you don't have any Engi or have skilled Engis you don't want to move off stations. Engi are my favorite to skill at stations because if it gets damaged, they patch it back in half the time vs anyone else. But this means you might not want to move them for distant fires in a fight. Alternately, you could use the Engi to repair/extinquish while using strong Rockmen to sit in rooms and shrug off any damage they take. The slow speed is negated if they sit still in a room.

[daniu -TLG-]

I'm pretty sure the Droids also put out fire faster and really are the best option: cheap, no need to remove oxygen from your ship (can come back to punch you in the face...), no need to micro your men around. They don't even cost a drone part beyond the first you pay if they don't get destroyed.
All that said, I still never use them. Mostly because they waste the drone slot I need for something more useful.

[Zojak Quasith]

You have all missed the most important component of the "dem fires" situation.

Don't lose your mind and or don't ignore it. I'm just a newb, I got the game and am delighted at the chaos and carnage that happens. Bouding parties was another thing that I would succumb to nigh instantly, thinking "seriously?!" and just ignoring them.

Blast doors and a jacked up med bay is your friend. Door control lets you air out fires and intruders who are pounding on your improved blast doors. The trick is to move your guys into the med bay, pump up the power to it, and they will heal-tank through it.

I've had some dicey moments with boarding parties and fires. Don't flip out. Pause is your friend.

[Twelvefield]

Definitely upgrade your doors. The best 20 scrap investment in the game. With strong doors, you can take your time putting out fires, or you can even ignore them and allow them to die from oxygen starvation. If it's a system that catches fire, vent the room or throw in rockmen. Not both.

[Cougarific]

Yah like Twelvey my first scrap expenditure is always 20 for doors. I do it as soon as I make my first 20 so I never have to worry about forgetting and accidentally jumping into Sector 2 with un-upgraded doors.

[Goku]

Okay. Time to upgrade my doors. Stuck in my med bay with no door controls. 22 percent oxygen left, and most rooms are fully on fire. Shepard, Williams, and Alenko will most likely burn with the Normandy SR4.

[Sirius]

Originally posted by Bravo:

...Requires you to not miss yourself.

This totally cracked me up for some reason.