- How does it feel, knowing you might make
firefighters out of these girls?
- Feels pretty damn good.
My chief just got approval to hire a part-time assistant.
- Are you seriously offering me a job?
- It's always been you.
If Gabby came back and asked you to leave with her,
would you go?
- I don't know.
- I think you should leave.
[dramatic music]
- You are the very definition of a leader.
When the lieutenants' test is offered in a few months,
I want you to take it.
- Do you think I'm ready?
- You have plenty of time.
and you have me.
♪
- The meeting is today for lieutenant candidates.
And, to be honest, I'm a little nervous.
There is something about reality hitting,
like...
"Damn, in a few months,
I'm taking the lieutenants' test."
- Yeah, you are. - Yeah.
You're gonna help me study, right?
Like the squad truck ins and outs?
'cause I gotta learn that from the master.
- I'm here. Anything you need.
- Okay.
So maybe after shift, we go through it?
- Sure, sounds good. - Okay.
- So this is what I drive...
- Well, good morning.
- Hey, squad. - Morning.
- Just so you know,
Kylie says "squad" when she's referring to her pals,
her family, or pretty much anyone.
How's her first day going?
- So far, so good.
- Chief Boden's been awesome.
He introduced me to everybody, showed me the rigs.
- You mind if I give her my personal tour,
which might include
a hidden stash of Nitro Takis?
- Go right ahead.
- I love Nitro Takis.
- Oh, right? It's the perfect breakfast.
Right, right this way. - Yes, yes!
- You happen to notice... - The similarities?
Yes, I did.
- Hey.
Can we, uh...can we talk?
- Yeah, of course.
- I'm really sorry
about the way things went down the other night.
- No, don't be.
Like I said, this is on me.
- It was on both of us.
And I want you to know,
I don't regret it.
- Okay.
- It sounds like you do?
- Matt... [tone plays over PA system]
- Engine 51, Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61...
- [sighs] Later.
- Yeah, later.
[soft dramatic music]
- Come on.
♪
- Victim's on the roof, Captain!
[siren wailing]
[music intensifies]
- Get us close.
♪
- Pull a horseshoe off the engineer's side.
- Copy that.
[indistinct chatter]
♪
- Someone!
- Help, over here! - Help!
- Mouch, extend the aerial.
Gallo, you're coming to the roof with me.
- You got it, Captain. - We're up here!
♪
[door slams open] - [coughing]
- Hey, you okay? - [grunts]
My boss, he's still in there!
- All right. We'll find him.
Capp, get this guy to the medics.
- Hey, bud, come with me.
- Tony, get a RIT-Pak ready. - Copy that.
- Cruz, you got one victim inside.
- Yeah, it's rolling in there.
- Let's make it quick.
♪
[coughing]
♪
- Fire department! Call out!
Hey, sweep left.
Meet me on the Charlie side. - Copy that, lieutenant.
[both coughing]
- Over here! - Bring it over here!
- Yup.
It's all yours, Captain. - On the roof!
- Fire department! Call out!
Fire department! Call out!
[machinery grumbles]
- Hmm.
- [coughing] - Hey!
- Come on! You're going the wrong way.
- Over there. - Hey.
Hey, Cruz. I found a victim.
There might be another one on the northwest corner.
Come on, we gotta get you out of here.
[machinery groans]
- Whoa!
- [screams]
- Casey!
[dramatic music]
♪
- [grunts]
- Casey! Hang on.
- [panting]
[dramatic music]
- You okay? - Yeah.
- Mouch, lock the stick! - [stammering] It was!
It is!
♪
- I got you, Cap. - [grunts]
- Our exit route! It's too hot now.
We won't get through.
- Got it?
♪
- [grunts]
- Come on.
There we go
- [grunts loudly]
- Stay down.
- [panting] You okay?
[indistinct shouting]
The hell was that? - I don't know.
- Is he all right? - Come on.
- Get ready to go! - Yeah.
- All right. Go now, go!
[music intensifies]
♪
- All right, come on. Let's move.
- Two civilians coming down. Mouch, is the aerial locked?
- Yes, Captain.
[somber music]
- Okay, one at a time. Take it slow and easy.
♪
- [coughing] [indistinct radio chatter]
- Who else is in there?
- Uh, what? - Who were you going back for?
- I was trying to get to my car.
- A car? - A '70 Stingray.
- Squad 3, we're all clear. Cruz, move out.
There's no one else inside.
- Copy that! On the way out.
- Come on. Let's get you to the medics.
- Watch your step.
- Care to explain, Mouch?
- I don't know what happened.
Captain, I swear it was locked.
The rung alignment-- - Yeah, sure.
Okay. - Light was on--
- Yeah, good job.
- Let's take a look at that cut.
- It's fine.
Could be worse. - Come on.
It's not too deep.
Just need to clean it and put a bandage on it.
- Glad you're okay, Captain.
Looked pretty scary there for a minute.
- Lucky Gallo got there when he did.
- For sure.
Um, our victim's burns cover most of his hands.
So we should probably get him over to Med.
- We're done here.
- Thanks. [clears throat]
- Hey, Kidd,
you okay if I pull the rig out under the apron?
- Sure. Captain.
- Yeah. - Just a reminder.
I got that meeting at headquarters.
- Sure, go ahead. - Okay.
[exhales]
- [muttering]
Ritter?
Come here.
- What's up, Chief?
- What is that?
- I think that's one of those standing desks.
- But why?
- Why... - Why is it here, in my office?
- I don't know, Chief.
I didn't have anything to do with this.
- What do you think?
- About the, uh... - Yeah.
I found it in the utility closet.
You were complaining about your back earlier,
so I figured...
- Uh-huh.
Huh. - And you know what they say.
"Sitting is the new smoking."
- [chuckles]
Right. Right.
Okay.
Well done, Kylie.
- Yeah. Uh, see how you like it.
- [chuckles] Thank you.
- Congratulations.
You're here because
your name came up for the lieutenant test.
But first you have to pass.
Then wait for placement.
For some of you, that could take years.
For others, it may never happen.
There will be a written portion along with timed events,
similar to the CPAT.
You have until March 19th.
So come prepared...
or don't come at all.
Refer to the info sheets for books you need to get,
which events to expect,
and CFD online resources.
Any questions?
All right, then. Dismissed.
- You must be Stella Kidd.
Chief Boden's a big fan of yours.
- [chuckles] I feel the same way about him.
- Hey. Joey Sandoval.
I was at the leadership retreat right after you.
Heard your name a lot.
You made a real impression on Chief Morgan.
- Wow.
I mean, that's-- that's nice to know.
- Time to break up the party.
There's another meeting coming in right after this one.
- Good to meet you. - Yeah, good to meet you.
Chief, thank you for the opportunity.
March 19th, I'll come prepared.
- Good.
- Hey, Mouch!
What's the matter?
Throw another Frisbee up on the roof?
- I don't know what happened.
Lock's working just fine now,
but on the call--
Swear I locked it in. I know I did.
- Okay. What'd Casey say?
- Ah, not a lot.
Just stared at me with hate in his eyes.
- No, he didn't.
I mean, maybe he's a little pissed off,
is my guess.
- He's got every right to be.
He was half an inch away from a career-ending injury...
or worse.
I know I didn't bump the lever.
And even if I did, when it's locked in,
it shouldn't move.
- Hey.
If you say it was locked in,
I believe you.
- Then why can't I find a mechanical problem?
Can you just let me...
- Okay. Of course.
All right?
- I gotta figure this out.
What happened today, that can't ever happen again.
♪
- "The truck officer momentarily lost balance
"due to excessive aerial sway
"possibly caused by high winds
but recovered and continued with the rescue operation."
High winds?
- I was inside the fire at the time.
I didn't see any of it.
- I mean, I don't know what happened, exactly.
The ladder bucked like a bronco.
- If a mistake was made, tell me.
- Mouch screwed up. He knows it.
That's punishment enough.
Rather not send this up the chain.
- I'm with Casey on this.
They suspend Mouch, we just get some other floater
with half his experience.
- Yeah.
- Well, it's your neck on the line.
Far as I'm concerned, it's your call to make.
- Hey, Chief? - Yeah?
- What's that?
- You never seen a standing desk before?
- No, not--not in here.
- Well, you know what they say. Um...
sitting is the new smoking.
- Hmm. - Who's "they"?
- How the hell am I supposed to know?
- Is 61 still out?
- Not sure. Why?
- No big deal.
- I'm trying to find
someone who would've helped me out of the building,
and... - Severide.
- Hey.
'70 Stingray.
- Ken.
I never got a chance to thank you.
- Kelly.
- If you hadn't pulled me out of there...
- Yeah, I'm a big car guy myself,
but they haven't made one yet that I'm willing to die for.
- It wasn't just any car.
It was my dad's.
Spent ten years restoring it.
Never lived to see it through.
Wanted me to finish it for him.
- Ah.
- LeMans blue.
Turbo jet. 454 V-8.
- [whistles] Wish I could've heard that.
- Hey, man, I went back there
the minute the hospital discharged me
to check the damage,
but the doors were boarded up with a notice from OFI?
- Yeah, that's the Office of Fire Investigation.
They have to determine the cause.
- Oh.
How long till I can get back in there?
- Depends what they find.
Do you know how it started? - No.
But I've been complaining to the landlord
for years about a twitchy subpanel.
- Yeah, well, I'm sure someone will get in touch.
- Yeah, yeah. Okay.
Um, hey, man, thanks again.
I owe you my life. - Yeah, glad you're okay.
- Um,
I didn't realize we were low on anything.
My bad. I should've checked that.
- Um, no, we're--we're not. I just--
I just thought it never hurts to do a supply run, right?
- Right.
Hey, um, am I crazy,
or did I pick up on a little something-something
between you and Casey?
- Casey? No, not--no.
- Oh.
I just broke up with my boyfriend of two years,
which is a good thing, so.
- Casey's definitely not my boyfriend.
- Oh, no, no, no.
I'm just saying I'm happy to talk boys
anytime you want.
Speaking of which,
what is up with Gallo?
Is he seeing anybody, or...
- You know, we're not super close.
So I haven't asked. - Oh.
- But I haven't heard of anyone recently.
So...
- Ooh, okay!
Good to know.
[indistinct chatter]
- Hey, Mouch. What you got there, buddy?
You reading the phone book?
- It's the operations manual for 81.
- Uh, you never read it?
You know, maybe that's the problem, huh?
- No, Cruz... - Of course I read it.
First thing I did last year after we got the new truck.
Now I'm reading it again. Is that okay with you?
- Yeah, sorry, Mouch. Was just a dumb joke.
Hey, did you check the hydraulics?
You know, maybe you got a bad seal
or a leaky hose line.
[tense music]
- Can't you see he's beating himself up?
- I was just trying to help. - Yeah.
Well, don't.
♪
- What's the address again?
- 255 South Archer.
It was a warehouse fire full of cars.
- Looking like an electrical fire.
- So they can release the scene?
- Oh, get in line.
I got two fatality fires taking priority right now.
- Uh, there's just a guy
that wants to check on one of the cars inside.
It should only take a few minutes.
- Well, he can get in there
once a qualified fire scene investigator
signs off on the cause.
Hey, you know who's qualified?
Kelly Severide.
You close out this investigation for me,
and you can let your buddy in there to check on his car.
- I don't work at OFI.
- You should, Severide. It's in your blood.
- If I do this,
will you stop pestering me about coming back here?
- No.
- [scoffs]
Fine. [chuckles]
Thanks, Van Meter. - No, Severide.
Thank you.
- Look at this. Kelly Severide, back at OFI.
- I know. I can't seem to stay away.
- I met your girlfriend today
at the lieutenant candidates meeting.
- That so?
- Took me till I was 42 to make lieutenant.
She's really zooming up the ladder.
- Well, she's a great firefighter.
- If you say so.
These days, they promote people for all kind of reasons
that have nothing to do with skill and experience.
- She has both. - Sure.
But I'll tell you what:
a victim that's gotta be shoulder-carried
down a ground ladder
doesn't care that there're enough ladies in the CFD
or enough diversity.
They just need saving. Am I right?
- You might want to think about retirement, Chief.
You're starting to sound a little creaky.
- [chuckling] Okay.
I get it. You gotta defend your girl.
But it's funny,
'cause folks around here are saying
the real reason Kidd's moving up so fast is you.
- What are you talking about?
- It can't hurt-- sleeping with an officer,
especially one so closely connected
to Commissioner Grissom.
I'm just telling you what everyone else is saying.
Don't shoot the messenger.
See you around, Severide.
[tense music]
♪
- You're in the wrong part of town, pal.
F51 is way the hell over there.
- Uh, no.
My chief sent us to get our rig washed.
He says it's pretty much all you guys do up here.
- What's up, you bastard? - Ah.
I just wanted to ask you guys about, you know,
an accident you had a while back here.
You know, bobbing your aerial.
You know what I'm talking about.
- Yeah, I know. - Yeah.
- I was laid up for a month. This knee...
- Yeah? - Still ain't right.
Why the sudden interest?
- Oh, we just had a close call at 51.
Similar-type deal.
I just wanted to get the details
to see if there was anything instructive to take away,
you know?
How'd it happen?
- It was a house fire in Austin.
I was on a 28 up the bravo side.
- Right. - Brambos is placing
the aerial at a nearby window. - Mm-hmm.
- Overshoots it somehow.
Down I go, ladder and all.
- Brambos, huh? - Yeah.
- He's no greenhorn. - Nah.
He's got the opposite problem.
Been doing it so long,
he's just going through the motions.
It's all good now, though.
Got him riding a desk up at fire prevention,
counting heads at overcrowded bars.
- Oof.
- So if you're looking for a takeaway,
I'd say the lesson is weed out the deadwood
before someone gets killed.
- Well...that's good insight.
Thanks, Demblowski. - Sure thing.
See you around, Hermann. - Yeah.
- Hey, there.
Hey. - Hey.
- Heard you were at headquarters too.
- I was, yeah.
Uh, actually,
I just ran into Chief Conway, and did you know that--
- Oh, I have to say,
I feel so much better after leaving that meeting.
I mean, people were coming up,
saying really nice things.
It meant a lot. - That's...yeah.
I'm glad to hear it. - I'm geared up.
I'm gonna hit the books hard.
I'm gonna dazzle those white shirts
and get myself a promotion, do Boden proud.
You'll take me through the squad later, right?
- Uh, you don't need my help with that.
There's--you know, there's all kinds of diagrams and...
- [scoffs] Diagrams?
I, um--
I thought you were gonna walk me through it.
Listen, I'll make it fun.
- I'm sure you would.
And I actually--I have a thing to do after shift.
- "A thing."
- Yes.
Capp, walk Kidd through squad, okay?
- Sure. After I get a little me time.
- Now. - No, not--
I can wait until you have time. - No, no.
Capp could use the extra training.
- He's in a mood.
- I'm not putting down the milkshake, FYI.
- Come on.
- Okay, Chief, here's all the equipment expenditures
for the third quarter.
- Thank you, Kylie. - Sure thing.
Gallo just caught me looking at the bad buildings map.
- Yup.
- He says you guys keep track
of all the dangerous abandoned properties
in the area?
- Yeah, that's right. It's for our own safety.
- That's so cool.
I learn something new here, like, every five minutes.
- Yeah, best way to learn about firefighting
is in the firehouse.
- Oh, God, I love it.
- [chuckles]
- Uh, are you okay?
Uh-oh. - Yeah.
Well, you know, guess I'll have to go without.
- I think you just...
♪
There. Try it now.
- Hmm.
[keys clacking]
Thank you, Kylie. - Any time, Chief.
♪
[knocks at door] - Hey.
There you are. - Yeah.
Uh, bunch of calls and a supply run.
So...
I don't want things to be weird between us.
- Neither do I. They don't have to be.
[sighs]
I know what I said the other night.
But you have to know...
my feelings for you...
they're real, Sylvie...
regardless of Gabby.
- There is no "regardless of Gabby."
That's the point.
[somber music]
- I'm not sure that has to be true.
- I am.
♪
Matt, what happened between us,
it can't happen again.
Ever.
You--you've been such a great friend to me.
- [chuckles] I feel the same way.
- I just...
I need a little space right now, okay?
I can't go right back to the way things were
and pretend nothing happened.
- Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
- Okay.
♪
- You okay?
- Yeah. I'm fine.
- Here.
[buzzer sounds]
- Ambulance 61...
- [sighs] Of course.
- Person injured, 395 South Madison.
[siren wailing]
[tense music]
♪
- Hello? Paramedics.
- Over here! Help!
Please!
- What happened? - That thing flew into me.
♪
- All right, here.
Let's just take a look.
♪
- [exhales]
- I heard this buzzing noise,
like a swarm of bees heading straight for me.
- How's the pain? The fentanyl kick in yet?
- I think so?
I can't feel my legs.
- Oh, good. Then it's working.
- Uh, I found...it.
♪
- Ooh.
Uh, pretty clean cut.
Should be able to reattach it, no problem.
[nearby buzzing]
♪
- Hey, I see you ,Wesley!
♪
- Playtime is over!
Can I get in trouble for that?
- That thing was clearly a threat to our safety.
- Finish it.
- You know, I feel like you might need this more than I do.
- No, no. You do it.
- I'll do it. - No, no, no.
You should stay still.
- You ever heard of smash therapy?
People pay good money for this.
- Yeah? - Mm-hmm.
- Go for it.
- Sure. Why not?
- Sit still for me? Lean back.
There you go.
- [grunting]
- You sure this is cool? Just going inside?
- Yeah, it's on the up and up.
I know the guy that runs OFI. I talked to him myself.
Come on.
- Oh, man. What a mess.
I can't believe I tried to fight my way through this.
You must think I'm some kind of stupid.
- I don't know.
I've seen a lot of people run back into fires
for photo albums, wedding dresses,
Grandma's recipe book.
- Seriously?
- But those are all things you can carry.
How the hell were you planning on getting out of here
with a car?
- I didn't really think it through.
- Where is it? - Back corner.
Damn.
Hoo-hoo-hoo! Look at that.
- Looks like the heat blew a tire out over here.
- Anything else?
- Not that I can see. - Frickin' miracle.
Barely been touched.
- She's a beauty, Ken.
Your dad had great taste.
Take as much time as you need.
I'm gonna have a look around, jot some notes down,
and sign off on the paperwork.
- Wait, so that's how you got them to let us in here?
You offered to do their job for them?
- Ah, it's no big deal.
- It's a big deal to me, Kelly.
This car's about the only thing keeping me sane.
400 horses, nice piece of road.
You just leave all your problems
in the rearview mirror.
- I'm still finding my way around,
but it seems like anything dealing with the vehicles
is in this cabinet.
- Oh, we don't call them "vehicles."
We call them "apparatuses."
- "Apparati," actually.
- What are we looking for, exactly?
- Transfer paperwork.
There's this lickspittle at headquarters.
His name is Gorsch,
and he got us this used truck at auction
from some firehouse down in Cleveland.
I just need the phone number.
- Why do you wanna talk to them?
- Well, every rig has got its quirks, you know?
A touchy gearbox, a sticky compartment door.
I just wanna see if any of these guys in Cleveland
had any technical issues with that aerial.
- That's a good idea, I guess. - Yeah.
- Hey, Kylie? Come clean.
What do you have on Chief Boden?
- Huh?
- Why is he so nice to you?
- Uh, because he's a giant teddy bear?
[both laugh]
What? - He's more like a grizzly.
- Or a T. rex.
- The only assistant
that's lasted more than two months with Boden
was a lady named Connie,
and that's only because she was tougher than him.
- For real? - Yeah, for real.
- Uh, hey.
What about this? - That is it!
Truck 81.
Thank you, Kylie. - Happy to help.
- T. rex.
- Hey.
Got a few minutes?
- Yeah. Let's do it.
You and Brett? - Not anymore.
Looks like that was the extent of it.
Gabby, our relationship,
it's always gonna be an issue for Sylvie.
- And for you?
- [sighs] I thought so.
But to be honest, these last few months,
I haven't had any contact with Gabby
or even thought much about her.
Sylvie's been the only one on my mind.
- But you're just gonna let it go.
- That's what she wants.
So...
[sighs] I don't know.
Maybe it's for the best. - Is it?
Sounds to me like you got it pretty bad for Brett.
- I think that's exactly why I have to pull back.
It's the best thing...
for her.
♪
- Damn.
[sighs]
- [sighs]
- You don't like the standing desk.
- It's not that I don't like.
I just...
I don't like it.
Whoever invented it needs their butt kicked.
- Why didn't you just say so?
Chief, just 'cause I'm a girl,
you don't have to go easy on me.
- It is not because you are a girl.
It's because I don't wanna be the one
to dampen your enthusiasm for this job.
- The only thing that can dampen my enthusiasm
is watching my chief squatting on a box
because he's too scared to treat me like a normal person.
If one of your guys put this here,
what would you say to them?
- I'd say, "Get this thing out of my sight right now."
- You got it, Chief.
♪
- And get my chair back in here.
- Yes, sir.
- What are we doing, Hermann, huh?
Shift's over.
Casey doesn't wanna talk to me anyway.
- Listen, I've got something you both need to see.
So just come on. Hey, Casey?
You got a minute?
It's about the aerial.
- I thought we put that to bed. - Yeah.
You're gonna wanna know about this.
- Recall notice. Where'd this come from?
- I called the fire company in Cleveland
that Gorsch bought your truck from.
That model has intermittent issues
with the override switch,
which affects the turntable control.
- Which could throw the aerial off balance.
- Mm-hmm.
Now, Gorsch was supposed to get it fixed
before we took delivery.
But I called the manufacturer,
and guess what?
The repairs were never made.
- Gorsch was probably too busy kissing the commissioner's ass.
- The good news, though,
is it wasn't operator error after all.
[warm music]
- Good. Yeah.
I better get this handled.
[sighs softly]
Sorry about giving you a hard time, Mouch.
- No, Captain. I'm just relieved.
[exhales heavily] - Yeah.
- Hermann...
What possessed you to do all that legwork?
- I knew you didn't screw up, so it had to be something else.
- Gorsch!
- Frickin' Gorsch. - I hate that guy!
- You were right, you know. Smash therapy works.
- Right? I told you.
- Yeah, you did.
Thanks, Mackey.
- Any time, partner.
Ooh, Gallo.
If I was to give you my number,
you would call me, right?
- Cruz would murder me, and you know it.
- Don't give up. - Oh, I won't, trust me.
- Hey, guy.
I'll take another refill, my good man.
- That's your ninth tonight. - Uh-uh.
Free drinks for life.
- I'm sorry that I didn't tell you.
I've been in kind of a tailspin over it.
- How was the kiss? - [scoffs]
- I mean, was it good?
- It was.
So not helpful, Stella. - My bad.
- I just need to put it behind me and move on.
And I can do that.
I mean, there are good men who aren't still, deep down,
in love with their exes, right?
I mean, you found Severide.
- [sighs] - What?
- He is being a real weirdo.
So first he saddled me with Capp for a squad study session.
And then he bailed on me again tonight,
and both times he said he had "a thing."
- You didn't ask for any specifics?
- No. I probably should've.
Something is up.
That is for sure.
- Hey, Captain!
What are we drinking tonight?
- Uh, I'll take a whiskey. - All right.
Hey, uh,
if you don't mind me saying,
the way that you handled
that whole Mouch situation, that was really great.
It really meant a lot to him,
the way that you were so willing
to just let it go and move on.
- Yeah. Well...
Guess I'm pretty good at that. Hey.
Make it a double?
- Yeah. Sure.
[somber music]
♪
- I gotta admit, Kelly,
I didn't expect you to show up and provide free manual labor.
- Well, I wasn't gonna let you do this one-handed.
Truth is,
I needed to give my girlfriend some space.
- Uh-oh. In the doghouse?
- Nah, nothing like that.
I'm just doing her more harm than good right now,
even if she doesn't know it.
♪
All right, man. You're good to go.
- You ready?
- Me?
You just brought this thing back from the grave.
You should be the first one to drive it.
- Kelly, man, you saved my life,
gave me peace of mind.
This is all I have to offer in return.
Indulge me.
[cell phone vibrating]
- All right.
Hell yeah. Let's go.
- My man.
[engine turns over]
♪
[dramatic music]
♪
[wolf howls]