Atleast I was able to play Oblivion. That's all that matters.

Oooh, ooh, I wanna join the Dark Brotherhood!

I did all of the missions in Los Santos. San Fierro has too many hills for my taste: I'm good on corners, so Los Santos doesn't pose a problem in that regard, and it's difficult to get a firetruck up to speed on San Fierro's hills.

The right stick is the big thing. Drive up to one side of the car, close enough that you can breathe on it, but far enough that you can aim your stream at the pavement in front of the side you're on. Then stop. Do not drive: let the fire hose do all of the driving for you -- it has a very long range, even a little beyond the distance where pedestrians fade out. Blast one side of the car's engine, then track the stream a little towards the passenger doors and sustain the blast as the passengers get out: if you're aiming properly, the passengers on the side you're on should get out, then get knocked over simultaneously and be doused a second or so later. Then aim at the other two passengers one-by-one, moving only if absolutely necessary. Remember that it takes several seconds of watering to successfully douse someone, so track the water from the engine along the path that you're blasting the burning person along. It's often easiest if you can manage to pin them up against a wall or another car while the stream hits them.

The biggest obstacle on the fire truck missions is ensuring that your truck can complete the mission. Drive like a real emergency services officer: slow down at blind intersections, and don't use the handbrake unless you have to (the firetruck can fishtail easily, its tail end swinging over the sidewalk and hitting peds, debris, and walls).

But you do slow down at blind intersections, correct? Otherwise you're going to create a few more emergency medical situations at one time or another... ;-)