Playing the Job of a Firefighter in Sims 3 Ambitions: How to Earn Awards & More

When you first start your profession as a firefighter in The Sims 3 Ambitions you will be given the title of water boy or girl. By responding to emergencies when the alarms in the fire station ring your job performance will increase. Not only will your sim respond to small house fires and large house fires but your sim will also respond to natural disasters such as earthquakes, building disasters such as gas leaks and other disasters including catching angry gnomes and stopping malfunctioning simbots.

Responding to Emergencies

When at the fire station the alarms may go off, signaled by a loud ringing noise and red noise markers around the alarms. A map icon will appear with a picture of a fire. Click this map icon and choose “Respond to Emergency.” Your sim will get in the fire truck and drive to the location of the emergency. Your sim will often automatically respond to the emergency once on scene. However, if your sim does not automatically attempt to put out flames, stop the gas leak that often comes from the kitchen stoves or remove debris that is trapping other sims you may need to click on the object that you wish your sim to deal with. For example, you may need to click on the flames of the fire and choose to extinguish the flame or you may need to click on a sim covered in rubble and choose to remove the debris.

Emergency Grading

Each emergency that your sim responds to has certain time criteria that your sim will be graded with. When responding to an emergency a dialog box will appear on the left-hand side of your screen. This dialog box shows you the objectives your sim must complete to successfully handle the emergency, as well as the amount of time that has elapsed since your sim left the fire station. If you hover your cursor on this dialog box another dialog box will appear on top of the original box. This second dialog box tells you the time criteria your sim must meet for the various grades. For example, in some small house fires your sim must put out all of the flames in two hours or less in order to receive an A grade.

Skills

To advance in the firefighter career in The Sims 3 Ambitions your sim must not only respond to emergencies, but also make friends with fellow firefighters and improve his handiness and athletic skill. The fire station comes equipped with exercise machines to improve the athletic skill of your sim. When not responding to an emergency, take full advantage of the equipment in the fire station. To improve your sim’s handiness skill you may maintain the alarms at the fire station as well of the fire truck. To do this, simply click on an alarm or the fire truck and choose to maintain it. If the fire truck or alarms are at 100% you will not have the option to maintain them. As your sim’s handiness skill improves your sim will be able to improve the horsepower of the fire truck as well.

Advancement and Rewards

As a firefighter in Ambitions, The Sims 3 expansion pack, your sim receives a weekly stipend paid every Sunday. As your sim advances in his firefighting career he will also receive additional rewards for some job promotions. A fire ax wall trophy, a firefighter’s coat sculpture and a couple trophies are among the first rewards your firefighting sim will receive. Once your sim achieves level 10 and becomes the Fire Chief, an award ceremony will be held at the City Hall and your sim will receive the key to the city. The job titles, corresponding stipend and accompanying rewards are as follows:

1. Water Boy or Girl: The weekly stipend for this position is 276 simoleans and a new interaction is unlocked with this first step on the firefighter career ladder. Your firefighter sim may now flirt using the “I’m a Firefighter” interaction in the romantic social menu. Your sim will flex and if the interaction is successful the sim who is listening will squeal and get excited about your sim’s profession.
2. Soot Stripper: The second level of the firefighter career earns a weekly stipend of 340 simoleans.
3. Fire Safety Instructor: The third level of the firefighter career earns a stiped of 400 simoleans per week.
4. Hose Handler: As a Hose Handler, your sim earns a weekly stipend of 520 simoleans and receives a fireman axe as a wall decoration.
5. Fireman: When your sim reaches this level of the firefighter profession, your sim will earn a 640 simolean per week stipend. Additionally, your sim’s personal fire extinguisher will be upgraded making putting out fires easier and faster.
6. Fire Sergeant: This job title comes with a 840 simolean per week stipend, as well as a fireman uniform wall decoration.
7. Fire Captain: Your sim will make a weekly stipend of 1132 simoleans.
8. Backdraft Specialist: Level 8 of the firefighter career earns a weekly stipend of 1480 simoleans.
9. Assistant Fire Chief: when your sim reaches this level, your sim will earn a weekly stipend of 1840 simoleans. Your sim will now be immune to fire.
10. Fire Chief: Your sim will earn 2480 simoleans per week as a stipend and will receive a personal fire engine and wall alarm, which makes it possible to work from home. This is in addition to receiving the key to the city if your sim attends the award ceremony at City Hall when prompted.

Lifetime Wish

In Ambitions, The Sims 3 expansion pack, a new lifetime wish pertaining to the firefighter career is available. This lifetime wish is to become a Firefighter Super Hero by saving the lives of 30 sims. When emergencies occur your sim will occasionally have to rescue others. How long it will take your sim to achieve this lifetime wish depends on how often your sim gets an emergency that requires the saving of others.