Red-Unicorn

You’ll need a mod to change sandbox options for an existing save. There are a couple of options, but I personally use this one. I don’t actually know the answer to your question, but if just changing the vanilla setting doesn’t do it, you can always use the Expanded Helicopter Events mod. That will add events regardless of the original setting.

I recently started playing a chef, who spawned in a restaurant kitchen. I figure that the restaurant was closed, but once it became clear that the “official” response had failed and survivors had to fend for themselves, she went back to scavenge for food. In the same game (single player, but with multiple characters) my firefighter spawned in the firehouse. That’s easy to justify, as emergency responders would’ve stayed on duty as long as possible even after non-essential jobs closed. But by July 9th, my guy was the only one left. Saving the town was a lost cause, but the station could be fortified into a base for fellow survivors… If there are any.