Is firewire the only way to capture live?
 

Can I capture live from a camera via another route besides firewire?

My firewire is presently not working on my camera (and my other camera is getting repaired for a cool $300.00), so I was wondering if I can go live and capture via usb or something else?

You can use a capture card or device and capture in real time from the composite video output but the cost of a decent card is going to be a signifigant percentage of the cost of repairing your camera anyway.