I'm on my first playthrough, and am now clearing out the Military Base. It's clear at this point that my companions are not going to make it to the end in one piece... if anything they're just shooting me in the back. A lot.

If I fire them, can I re-hire them later? Call me sentimental but I don't want them to end up as stains on the floor.

Also, anything I can do about Dogmeat incinerating himself on the red forcefields? If I lock him in a room, will he just 'find' me later, or be killed when the base blows? (I assume I'm gonna blow it up, anyhow).

I suppose I could just waste them all, but it seems unsporting.

Yes, simply ask your companions to wait while you are in a safe place, and they'll stay there until you return.

I'm afraid I can offer no solution on keeping Dogmeat alive, I didn't recruit him on my second, full playthrough. However, I would strongly suggest installing the NPC mod. It'll allow you to equip your companions with better armour, should help a lot in keeping them alive.

Guess Dogmeat will just have to fry then. I hear that's his 'canon' ending anyway.

No doubt I'll look into mods on subequent playthroughs, however I never use them on the first run of any game, since I like to experience the vanilla version properly first.

...The exception being Morrowind and Oblivion, since there were glaring errors in the levelling that never got fixed. Had to pre-mod those before I even played, lol.

Chris Avellone's Fallout Bible, section 0 (a revision of prior editions), specifically cites Chris Taylor's writing in the Fallout 2 manual as stating that Dogmeat dies in the Mariposa Military Base. So if it's any comfort, this problem was observed and has entered the series' canon.
Can be found here

I actually read that in the bible, thinking it was the game manual - lol

However, with heavy stimpak use and tactically trapping Dogmeat between yellow barriers, I was able to clear the base without him dying!

I shall now wade into the final location with a full complement of team members - and let what happens, happen. We're coming for you, Morpheus!

If you kick Tycho out, he's gone forever. Dogmeat can't be given instructions, he'll just follow you.

The others, however, will either stay put where you left them, or return to where you hired them. I think Katja will go back to the Boneyard. All of them except for Tycho can be re-hired.

I generally avoid followers in Fallout 1 because they're so fragile, they tend to shoot you in the back or get in fights with townsfolk, and you can't adjust their tactics. In Fallout 2 these things are all improved, along with a "party member interface," and they have actual dialog and quests with you! In FO1 they tend to get in the way more than anything, and they don't add much to the game.

Funny, I fired them all (besides dogmeat) outside the military base and was able to re-hire all 3 upon leaving.

I led them into the final battle at the cathedral, and while my sidekicks were fighting the Master's sidekicks, I legged it downstairs, armed the bomb and fled.

Satisfaction x10

In fact, one of the most satisfying game endings ever.

So, that's fallout 1 beaten. FO3 main quest (but not DLCs, yet...) beaten, 2 Endings of New Vegas done... time to get started on FO2 before the last NV DLC shows up! (I'm so stoked for that!)

Fallout 2 is a great game I dont think youll be disapointed. It improves on the gameplay of Fallout 1 greatly.

I've already started it - after some initial frustrations with the early enforced melee, I'm now in the first town, have a follower, and am clearly making progress.... and loving it.

The larger 'money counter', new follower options, improved stat balancing and increased diversity of quests means I'm already in love with it. More than F1. And I'm only about 3-4 hours in :D

Fallout 2 was terrific, IMO.

I really love the whole series (I haven't played FO3...it seems, from what I've seen others say about it to fall outside of the Canon on a lot of things)

I think you'll be very nicely surpised by how many things in NV were carried over from FO2.

Also, it's a larger Game than Fallout is and who doesn't like more playtime for their Buck?

I hear Tactics falls further from the tree in terms of canon, but that its gameplay makes up for it.
Fallout 3 is, in my opinion, acceptable. The ending made me want to throw bricks, and a few things here and there bothered me a lot, but the game as a whole is fun and is rather immersive.
I played it twice.

I have enjoyed everything with the Fallout logo on it. Even that dumb little console stint. New Vegas was really awesome for me though. I kept thinking, this is Fallout 2, but today!

If you use the Fallout Fixt compilation patch it includes the NPC mod with allows you to equip your companions with better armor.

To my knowledge, there are two sets of power armor that can be peacefully obtained in the game, and you can also purchase combat armor from a few merchants in the game, so with that kind of armor and your companions leveling up (they are supposed to level up with you with the NPC mod) they should be able to stay alive, barring getting shot at by a minigun at point blank range.

Also with using the NPC mod you should be able to tell dogmeat to wait and you can come back and get him. Did you go for a charisma and intelligence of 10? That tends to make for the best playthrough since there are far more people to talk to, charisma determines how many companions you can have at one time (every 2 charisma you have means 1 follower), and the people you talk to with talking heads have farrrrrr more dialogue. There are even some companions you get that have talking heads.

You could always go for 8 charisma and get the magnetic personality perk for your fifth companion but it makes for a more fun playthrough, and in the late game with all your weapons and power armor your party will be a killing machine.

I eventually finished FO1 without anyone dying, and without mods. Nothing against mods, just don't want to use them on my first playthrough.

Am a good 10 hours into FO2 now, haven't had much time to play it but when I do, it's great. I can see the similarities mentioned between FO2 and NV - they certainly give me a sense of freedom in a way the other Fallout titles did not.