does Chrome and Firefox automatically update the Flash? I can't turn it off because...well lot of video sites made for men that are not Youtube or Twitch but more popular than Vimeo ever will be, requires flash.
Firefox - "no", it doesn't have Flash built-in but uses Flash installed in the operating system. However, Flash installed separately for example in Windows/OS X also updates itself.
However, you are screwed either way: always running the latest Flash player version which is known to be constantly full of security bugs, just like in the past 3 years... :)