Disasters, fire, and weather

When Enable Disasters is on, Sandbox and free play can roll rare bomb threats, electrical fires on worn gear, carrier truck accidents on motorized routes, dog bites on foot routes, contraband in mail, and extreme weather (Heat Wave, Cold Snap, Storm). Campaign missions suppress those random rolls. Under Fire scripts threat and fire drills instead. See Story and Sandbox.

Fire

Fires ignite from electrical faults, ignored bomb threats, or mail bombs. A circuit near capacity (about 90 percent) can build heat and catch fire. After that fire the breaker stays off until the blaze is out and the load is under 75 percent. Burning tiles spread while the blaze is intense. Fire damages gear, drops ash, stresses staff, and hurts satisfaction if it is large.

Place Fire Extinguishers so any staff can grab one. Janitors fight faster with an extinguisher and bare-handed when none is free. A fire truck is called automatically. Prolonged exposure can injure or kill staff.

Injury insurance pays 2.5 times daily wage, at least 150. A fatality pays 10 times daily wage, at least 800. Payouts show in the event log and on the day summary.

Other disaster alerts

Evacuating a bomb threat calls the bomb squad and facility inspectors. Seized explosives or weapons do too, and so do missed drugs, weapons, or undeclared currency on the street, plus a mail bomb. Missed hazmat hurts satisfaction and mail quality. See Security.

A carrier driving off the map can crash. Recall brings them back early. Push Through waits longer. Ignoring the alert chooses Push Through. A carrier on foot, or in a personal car, can be bitten. Treat and Return is the early option. Finish Route is the long one. Ignoring that alert chooses Finish Route. Both alerts need Enable Disasters.

Weather

Weather cycles with the season and shows on the clock strip and on Operations, then Status. Rain and storms slow outdoor walking and trucks. Indoor temperature drifts toward the outdoor weather. Comfort is 18 to 24 C, shown in your temperature unit. Too hot or too cold raises fatigue. A heat wave taxes everyone even with air conditioning.

Place air conditioning and heaters at about one unit per 40 floor tiles for full coverage. Box fans give a local comfort radius when rooms run hot. Weather operations days also raise the electricity bill.

Tiles without a roof pick up mud from rain or storms and snow from cold. Mud and snow slow walking. Roofed floors stay clear. Salt, sand, and a wash are not live services. The Winter Service Shed can be placed, and that roadside treatment is coming later. See Build menu.

Bare dirt slowly grows into grass when it is not covered. Sparse trees grow on open grass. They are decorative. Paint floors or roads to clear them.

Staff get dirtier from muddy or snowy ground and from heat. A full clean happens only when they go home.