Let me admit up front that I am only SLF - however, I have read this entire thread.
I thought a few (perhaps) interesting ideas got lost in the morass. In point:
It was mentioned that on some older aircraft, switches/controls could be more easily identified by touch alone. It would seem to be a very inexpensive modification to at least add an easily identifiable button/switch to the radio allowing it to be instantly switched to the emergency channel.
Along those lines - I think that if I was a pilot, the next time I was in a simulator, I might tie on a blindfold and see how fast I could find various controls by feel.
The inflatable plastic bag system (sorry, I've forgotten the name) seems like a no-brainer that should be required on all aircraft. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, but I don't see it making matters any worse.
The idea of a third person firefighter type exchanging their services for free flights seems like a win-win for all involved - even better if the firefighter has at least some rudimentary flying experience such that he could work the radio or read off a checklist. Of course, it will never happen.
And - I have a couple of probably stupid questions...
Some here have suggested that venting the cockpit via opening a window might actually draw smoke from the cabin into the cockpit. If so, would (remotely) opening a vent in the tail of the aircraft pull the smoke the other way (out of the cockpit)?
If the plane sent out a message telling UPS headquarters precisely where the fire was located, then was that information also available to the pilots? If not, then why not? I'm going to assume that if the pilots immediately knew that they had a cargo fire rather than an electrical systems fire, then time would be saved as there would be no reason to fool with shutting down systems, etc.
Along the same line as the above - given the size/weight/relatively simple technology of remote cameras today, would it be possible to locate several cameras in the cargo area which could be accessed from the cockpit? That way it might be possible to determine exactly where/what the problem was before or instead of physically going to investigate it.