Fire Truck
The Fire Truck is what it sounds like; a general purpose fire truck with a water cannon that has a few good uses. The Fire Truck has been in every GTA game.
The Fire Truck long and bulky, can drive fast, but at high speeds it can become unstable and is susceptible to understeer, making the rear end slide out. It is the only vehicle a player can do firefighter missions in. Each level consists of a car(s) that is on fire and the player has to use the Fire Truck's water cannon to extinguish it. It can be found in fire stations in all the cities. Since this is an emergency vehicle, it has sirens that make cars move out of the way. Spraying pedestrians with water even when they're not on fire can be hilarious. But in GTA IV, pedestrians may go after you and take it as an assault, including the cops. Vehicle pedestrains also go after the player by ramming it if sprayed with a water cannon.
The fire trucks in the GTA III era are numbered 1 to 6, and there is also an unnumbered one. In San Andreas, there are two types of Fire Truck, the normal San Andreas Fire Department one, and a Los Santos version.
In GTA IV you can spray water while in the Fire Truck, instead of firing a weapon. There are also no firefighter missions in GTA IV, unlike previous games. The Fire Truck can be founded at the Fire Station, but it is rarely seen driving around, even when starting fires, unless you can call 911 to lure them into a false alarm and then steal it.
Firefighter Missions
Firefighter missions can be toggled on or off when in a Fire Truck in all GTA III era games. The mission requires the player to find vehicles on fire and to extinguish the fire in a set time limit which is predetermined by your current location. Each level consists of one or more vehicles which are on fire, requiring the player to use the Fire Truck's water cannon to extinguish it. The water cannon can be rotated around and is fired by using the normal fire button. The water burst can send pedestrians flying back and can be useful for pushing police officers on foot which may be running towards you if you have a wanted level. Starting with Vice City, burning civilians get out of the cars and you also have to put the fire out on the running pedestrians to pass each level, which can sometimes run through small gaps in buildings where the fire truck can't get to, or even end up running into the truck, which instantly fails the mission if they are run over. The firefighter mission is cancelled if you leave the truck.
Locations
Starting a fire, regardless of the game, will see the fire department send out a fire truck to put out the fire. In Grand Theft Auto 2, completing the Wang Cars side quest unlocks this car, but with a flamethrower instead of a water cannon. The fire trucks also spawn at the following locations:
Liberty City
- Fire Station in Harwood, Portland Island, Liberty City
- Fire Station in Belleville Park, Staunton Island, Liberty City
- Fire Station in Francis International Airport, Shoreside Vale, Liberty City
Vice City
- Fire Station in Downtown, Vice City
- Fire Station in Escobar International Airport, Vice City
San Andreas
- Building in Commerce near Glen Park, Los Santos (This is the LSFD fire truck, different to the FDSA one)
- Fire Station in Doherty, San Fierro
- Fire Station between Redsands East and Redsands West, Las Venturas