Chicago Fire s14e01 Episode Script
Kicking Down Doors
1
We're frontliners.
We have to make the calls
nobody else wants to make.
And you live with the fallout.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Send me some water!
I got this! Clear the second floor!
I don't even think Herrmann
wants to be chief.
Did you lay down your bugles
for me?
It's time for you to get your chance.
When I said that I didn't
want us to move in together,
that was me being honest.
If you can't see a future together,
we shouldn't be together.
Things change. It's inevitable.
Even at 51.
[siren wailing]
I put in an application
with the Denver Fire Department.
I hope you find what you need there.
♪
Sam? What are you
Look, I know
this hurts like hell.
I'm really sorry
this adoption didn't work out.
There's something you need to see.
Kelly, we're pregnant.
♪
When I took the test
last week, it said positive.
So I don't understand.
Losing a pregnancy
this early on is fairly common.
A lot of people don't even know
they're pregnant at that stage.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
The good news is that there's
nothing in the exam
or the labs to suggest
any issues that would stop you
from having a healthy pregnancy
in the future.
That's that's great to hear.
Yes.
Um, thank you, Dr. Simmons.
[PHONE RINGING]
Are they here?
Okay, great. I'll be right out.
Apologies, but I need
to get to that meeting.
Best of luck to you.
I am here if you need anything.
- Thank you, Doctor.
- Thank you.
♪
I'm sorry.
Babe.
- Hey. For what? Hey.
- [SNIFFLES] I just
because I just
like, I should have waited a few days
to tell you or taken another test.
No.
You don't need to apologize
to me for anything.
We're in this together.
Every step of the way.
♪
Okay. [SNIFFLES]
This goes against our protocol.
He's been a problem for us repeatedly.
I know. That's why it's called a favor.
Well, we've discussed it internally
and we have concerns.
But ultimately,
we wanna keep these
department channels open, so
we're gonna assign him to Firehouse 51.
Do I have a say in this?
Think you know the answer to that.
But 51 was the CFD's choice
for a reason.
So you should be flattered.
- Good morning.
- Hey. Morning.
What?
I can't help but notice
that uh, you are still in here.
I am?
How long has it been
since Mouch made lieutenant?
Do you not see me
in the process of moving out?
That has taken you
an entire month?
Some of these items
are very fragile.
You're not leaving, are you?
You see Mouch complaining?
Look, all I'm saying is,
the sign says "Officers Quarters."
You're not an officer anymore.
And Mouch can't keep using the
Squad lunch table as his desk.
Yeah, you know what my
favorite part of this office is?
The door.
Hey, you know, the new
Truck guy starts today.
You might wanna try setting
a good example for once.
Hey!
I am the model of professionalism!
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Vasquez.
Yeah, that's me.
Good to meet you, Chief.
Same.
I, uh, heard a lot about you.
Let's head in.
Here's your new crew.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Briefing room's here.
♪
Here you go.
Pick out a locker,
make it your own.
Welcome to 51, Vasquez.
Thank you, sir.
Oh, hey there.
I'm, uh, I'm Sal Vasquez.
Oh, well
I am your lieutenant, Stella Kidd.
Yeah, I'm looking forward
to getting into it.
You know, meeting the team.
Yeah.
Well, you should know
that you are replacing
a hell of a good driver.
Not as good as me.
[ALARM BLARES]
Ambulance 61, Engine 51,
Truck 81, Squad 3,
- structure fire.
- Let's move, Vasquez.
9832 South Western.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[SIRENS WAILING]
[VEHICLE RATTLING]
[ENGINE REVVING]
He's a little heavy on the pedal.
You know what?
I was thinking the same thing.
Which house are you
coming from, Vasquez?
Uh, 25.
Slow action compared to you guys.
Yeah, every house is.
What the hell?
[HORNS HONKING]
81 to Main,
we have a rolling truck on fire
en route to the gas station.
- [HORN BLARES]
- Whoa! Whoa!
Whoa!
Ah!
Whoa, Vasquez!
Hey! Do not get too close.
Copy, copy.
♪
We'll take the gas station.
♪♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Drop the cross-lay now!
- Ritter, grab the jaws.
- Copy.
Let's go.
[SIREN WAILING]
Hurry up! Let's go!
Yo, this lady's hurt.
Cruz, Capp, Tony, grab extinguishers!
- Get this fire out.
- Copy.
All right. Let's get the door open.
- Go!
- All right.
[GROANING]
One, two, three.
She got attacked by two dudes
in a pickup truck
trying to rob her.
I saw the whole thing.
- Hit it, Vasquez!
- Copy.
All right. See if you can grab a pulse.
I'll try.
I got an injured victim
at the gas station.
Okay, I gotta tag this black
and get to the other patient.
I'm gonna call for another
ambulance and the police.
Copy.
♪
61 to Main, send a second
ambo and CPD to our location.
- We got you.
- Okay.
What have you got?
Gina here got a gash
on the back of her head.
Knows her name, what day it is.
Are you hurt anywhere else, Gina?
I-I don't think so.
She was attacked by two guys
in that truck that was on fire.
There was only one person in that truck.
What?
Hey, you called the police, right?
Yeah, same time as I called in the fire.
- All right. Call them again.
- Yeah.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
Hey.
Hey, don't move!
[SIREN WAILING]
♪
Stay put.
- [TIRES SCREECH]
- Stop fighting!
He's the second attacker!
Hey.
♪
Vasquez went a little rogue
on the drive.
He pulled a hard U-ey
before Kidd gave the order.
But the man can handle a truck.
Mm, I like the sound of that.
Carver came in with attitude too.
Mm, I remember.
Kidd whipped him into shape
pretty fast.
Is there still no contact?
No. We're, um,
we're standing on our agreement
to give each other the space
to move on.
I am not letting it
be all sad, okay?
We got to tell each other
how we really felt.
Lots of people never
get that chance.
That's true.
Since Dwayne moved to New York,
we've actually been texting.
A lot.
Really?
I was starting to get excited too.
Like, after everything,
maybe this really is the guy.
Mm-hmm.
But the last 24 hours,
he's been MIA.
Maybe it got too much for him.
You don't know that.
[SPEAKS SPANGLISH]
Hey.
What's the deal
with Dom Toretto over there?
You know his story?
Nope.
That's quite the move
he pulled off on Truck.
That's your old spot.
You're not curious?
[SCOFFS]
I get to know Carver, he leaves.
I get to know Damon,
he's transferred.
I figure I ignore this guy,
he'll stick around.
So that's my plan.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I would love to finish
this report in peace.
You do know that you can
do that in your office, right?
I guess that means you'd have
to confront your squatter.
[SIGHS] Herrmann's just
taking his time.
I'm sure he has
an end date in mind.
- When, 2050?
- [SCOFFS]
Look, Mouch, I get it.
The guy,
he gave up his bugles for you.
But you're a lieutenant now.
It's time to lay down the law.
Hey, check this out.
They're showing the footage
of the gas station attack.
Another brazen
daylight attack in Chicago.
But this one
did not go as planned.
That's the victim.
Security camera footage
captured the moment
where this woman bravely
fought off her attackers.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Oh, yeah.
Look at that.
Now one of the attackers is dead
and the other is in custody.
Still wonder what the hell took
the cops so long to show up.
And now a statement
from the mayor's office.
Oh, great, now we gotta hear
the new mayor's talking head
tell us how everything is hunky-dory.
Mayor Benning intends to tackle
this high crime rate
we've inherited.
We're facing it head-on
and we have plans
to turn this city around.
Oh, just like they always say,
and then things get worse.
Vasquez, can I see you a minute?
Sure thing.
I know that tone. She is not happy.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
So I have to give my report
to Pascal in a minute.
but I wanted to talk to you first.
Yeah. Sounds good.
You did not wait for my orders
en route to that last call.
You made a reckless U-turn
and you started after that
pickup without a word to me.
But I but I
I knew we had to go after it.
And we're not gonna
we're not gonna let a fireball
just roll down Western Avenue, right?
I think what you mean to say
is you are sorry and
that will never happen again.
Okay.
Yeah, sure. Won't happen again.
♪
What's wrong?
You wanna see his résumé?
I wanna know why you brought him here.
Well, I heard Vasquez
is a great firefighter.
The word I got was gutsy.
He has an attitude problem.
I have dealt with his kind before.
You straightened them out.
He's six hours into his first shift.
So that means what we saw out there
was him on his best behavior.
So what was it that he did exactly?
He acted without waiting
for orders from his lieutenant.
And I get the distinct impression
that's not the first time
he's done that.
So you wanna cut him loose?
I have to know that
my men will fall in line
or I put our entire company at risk.
We've lost a lot of
good firefighters lately.
I suggest you take a beat
before you risk losing another.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
How'd it go?
He seems to think that
I'm jumping the gun.
You agree with him?
Well, I wasn't in there to hear it all.
Whatever you decide, I got your back.
Well, that's that's not an opinion.
Look, you you've been, like,
walking on eggshells around me lately,
and it's just not helping anything.
So please, say what you think.
I think you've had a lot
going on lately and
You mean I'm bringing
my personal life into work.
I didn't say that, Stella.
Truth is, I don't care
about this Vasquez guy.
I care about you.
I know.
But when I'm at work, I am at work.
Vasquez is trouble,
and something is off
with Pascal's attitude.
♪
You got a sec?
Uh, yeah.
What can I do for you, Lieutenant?
Uh, I was just curious
if you had an ETA on, uh
on the moving out.
Oh.
I mean, I know
you've been working on it.
But it has been a while.
No, you're right.
I probably, you know,
could pick up the pace.
- Great.
- Yeah.
Yeah, it's just, you know,
it's been a little nuts around here.
You know, I I didn't realize
when I got demoted, you know,
how much, you know, retraining
I'd have to do for Truck.
- Right.
- It's just taking time.
And then, the
you know, the cut in pay.
I've had to figure out ways
to bring in extra income.
And currently, I'm working
my way through this.
- "More Money Now."
- Yeah.
It's absolutely useless so far.
But, you know, Cindy,
she's looking to pick up some work.
And Annabelle,
she may end up in trade school
instead of college, but that would help.
Hey, you know what?
Now I think about it,
there's been so much change
around here lately.
I don't think we should rock the boat.
So I you don't want me
to move out of here?
I'm just saying you take your time.
There's no rush.
Okay.
If that's what you want.
[SIGHS]
That's what I want.
All right.
Yeah, yeah.
Cool. [SIGHS]
[SOFT MUSIC]
♪
So was this an order from Kidd
or do you just have
a thing for bathrooms?
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
Little bit of both.
Nothing like good old
manual labor, right?
Yeah, if you say so.
Hey, for what it's worth,
I was the new guy last year,
and I know it has its challenges.
So if you ever wanna talk.
I appreciate that.
But I don't worry too much
about firehouse dynamics.
Is what it is.
Okay.
But you should know you won't
find a better lieutenant anywhere.
Okay. Good to hear.
See, a lot of them have
more bugles than brains.
You do not wanna underestimate her.
Trust me.
And uh, don't forget the shower stalls.
[SIGHS]
- Hey, Mouch.
- Hey.
Am I interrupting?
It's my lot in life now.
I'm sorry to hear that.
So I was supposed to FaceTime
with Dwayne this morning.
He wanted to show me
his new apartment in New York.
Uh, but he didn't call.
And I can't get a hold of him.
I-I know he's tight with Trudy,
so maybe you could just check with her,
see if she's talked to him recently?
Okay. I can do that.
Amazing. Thank you.
You're welcome.
You just make sure that she knows
I am not, like,
freaking out or anything.
You know, just curious.
Maybe just take yes
for an answer, Ritter.
Of course.
Thank you.
Anything I could do to help?
Peace and quiet. That's all I need.
Copy.
- Thanks again, Mouch.
- Mm-hmm.
I just get a gut feeling, you know?
And I trust my gut.
You should. You should trust your gut.
What are you looking for in here?
All right, we used to have
a small outdoor shovel.
I am gonna have Vasquez
do a little bit of gardening out front.
How did this get in here?
Ah. [SIGHS]
Um
we got you guys some baby stuff
when you thought
you were coming back from Med
with a baby.
There's more in the back.
That's really sweet.
It's around for whenever.
Or if ever.
Where are you guys at with all that?
[SOMBER MUSIC]
Uh, it's been a little bumpy.
We told Terry to hold off
on the whole adoption process for now.
Yeah, I totally get it.
You guys are on a serious
emotional roller-coaster.
I'm gonna go back to being frustrated.
- It's more fun.
- Okay.
Where the hell is the shovel?
Maybe Capp took it back
to his mom's place?
[ALARM BLARES]
Squad 3, Truck 81,
Ambo 61, house fire.
Northwest corner of Christiana
and West 21st Street.
[SIRENS WAILING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Dispatch said Christiana
and West 21st Street, right?
Yeah, that's what I got.
Squad 3 to Main, no sign of
fire at Christiana and 21st Street.
Do you have any more
information on this?
Squad 3, standby.
Dollars to donuts,
the fire's on East 21st.
Main to Squad 3,
confirming a single report
of fire at Christiana
and West 21st Street.
That's all we got.
No smoke? Single report?
It's probably just a bunch
of kids messing around.
We'd better suss it out just to be sure.
All right, Squad,
let's check the south side.
- Copy that.
- All right. Herrmann, Ritter,
check the bravo side of this building.
Work your way east on 21st.
- Vasquez, you're with me.
- Copy that.
We'll come up this way.
♪
He shot me.
We got a gunshot victim over here.
Copy!
- Hey.
- Vasquez. We got a GSW!
[TIRES SCREECH]
Lieutenant, get down!
Get down! Gun, gun, gun!
Squad 3 to Main,
we need police backup now!
[GUNFIRE]
Copy, Squad 3. Will notify CPD.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Hey, Lieutenant, we're code 4.
Doesn't look like
they're doubling back around.
Are you all right?
- Are you okay?
- Yeah.
All right. Hey, we're clear!
Everyone all right?
Yeah, we're good!
Come on.
Stay with me.
Need a jump pack
and the stretcher over here.
Coming to you.
- Hey, Ritter, give her a hand.
- On it, Lieutenant.
[GROANING]
I'm sorry. I know.
I gotta put pressure on it.
- What's your name?
- [BREATHING HEAVILY] Caleb.
Hang in there for me, Caleb. We got you.
Anybody catch a look at the dirtbags?
Yeah, they were in a black 4Runner.
No tags. Male Hispanic driver.
Squad 3 to Main, we got an
offender in a black Toyota 4Runner
heading northbound on Christiana.
GSW victim being treated
on-scene right now.
Main to Squad 3,
waiting for an available
CPD unit to respond.
We'll update with an ETA.
Well, damn. Thanks for nothing.
Hemostatic gauze and Kerlix.
- Through-and-through?
- Penetrating.
Cut the shirt, please.
Here's that gauze.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Okay.
[GROANING]
I know. I know it hurts.
We're gonna get you the pain meds.
We just gotta try
to stop the bleeding first.
Heart rate's 104. BP's 92, palp.
All right.
Let's get him in the rig.
Give him a 16-gauge. Run it wide open.
We'll give him 50 of fentanyl en route.
- Copy.
- On three. One, two, three.
Like the OK Corral out here today.
Still no PD?
Yeah.
♪
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
[GROANING]
[GROANS]
Okay.
Looked like a gang thing.
The victim must have been
hiding out till he heard the sirens.
He probably thought the SUV
would just take off
once he saw us rolling up.
It turns out they were happy
to take all of us down with him.
Yeah, but you,
you were a beat ahead of us.
You seemed to know
the bullets were coming.
Uh, yeah, yeah.
I did some time at the police academy.
You know, before I got
in the firefighter track.
I, uh, I guess I honed some instincts.
Yeah. Huh.
[BAG CRINKLING LOUDLY]
Sh
I can't work with all this noise.
Vasquez probably saved
all of our lives out there.
You think that might
warm Kidd up a little?
I think it's all about his attitude.
He's got confidence to spare.
Hope that he gets that
he's on the ropes.
Yeah, but it's kind of
like a charming confidence,
don't you think?
No.
I don't.
We got another GSW here.
I'm gonna call Abby
who works over at 911,
see if she knows why there have
been so many delayed responses
the last few shifts.
Vasquez was at the police academy.
And that was before
he switched firehouses a bunch.
This guy is all over the place.
I wonder if he's the one who
decided to do all the jumping
or if he got booted.
I'm gonna call around a bit,
see if I can get some background
and just fill out the picture.
You two. Follow me.
We can go through your reports
on the shooting call.
Once the shooting stopped,
I tried to grab a plate,
but SUV didn't have one.
What did PD say when they got there?
Nothing. They never showed.
What do you mean they never showed?
Maybe they showed up after we left.
So PD was late to the first call
and a no-show on the second?
That's right.
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
Yeah. Come in.
I'm sorry to interrupt,
but you're gonna wanna hear this.
Go ahead.
I have a friend over at 911.
After the shooting,
I gave her a call to see
if she could explain
what is going on over there.
Yeah, we were just trying to
make sense of that ourselves.
She said that over
the last couple months,
a bunch of dispatchers have
quietly been let go.
And apparently, it is the same at PD.
Did she say why?
No one has said anything.
But now they're drowning in calls
and apparently,
they don't have the resources
to respond to them.
That's why PD didn't show today?
They literally don't have the manpower.
If they're not responding
to a shots fired call,
what else are they missing?
Do we have any idea how many
calls they aren't getting?
Apparently, City Hall
is sitting on a report
that says of all calls coming in to 911,
49% of them are going unanswered.
Half of all calls?
- That can't be right.
- That's what she told me.
And the city is doing nothing about it?
Why weren't we notified?
I don't know.
What the hell's going on here?
[PHONE BUZZES]
Well, if it isn't my better half.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Oh, my God.
Mouch, what's wrong?
Trudy got a call from NYPD.
Dwayne?
He's in the hospital
for a gunshot wound.
How bad?
They just took him into surgery.
That's [SNIFFLES]
That's all we know right now.
♪
I'm so sorry, brother.
I told Ritter to just go.
So McKenna from first shift
will be here any minute.
I hope Dwayne's okay.
Trudy sounded pretty shaken up.
Just called the new mayor's office.
Don't expect to hear back,
but in the meantime,
we gotta start kicking down doors
with anyone we know in city government.
Mm? Who do we know?
We could call
the commissioner, DC Boden.
I checked with headquarters and Boden.
They didn't know anything about it.
I think it's probably over
the department's pay grade.
If they knew anything, we'd know too.
We have helped out a lot
of aldermen over the years.
Yeah, I made a connection
with Alderman Molina last year.
- I can reach out to him.
- That's right. Good. Who else?
Herrmann's pissed off
the city treasurer.
Does that help?
He'd probably remember Herrmann's name.
Right. Dale Andrews.
I could give him a call.
I feel like there's someone
[PHONE BUZZING]
It's the mayor's office.
Well, that was fast.
Pascal here.
Yes, I did.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Yes, I can.
Thank you. I appreciate it, Ms. Davis.
Yes.
Mayor Benning's chief of staff.
She wants to meet with me in her office
first thing tomorrow.
Maybe you'll get some answers.
Maybe.
I got the feeling
there's more to it than that.
♪
Hey, Novak.
Hey. What's up?
You okay?
Yeah, yeah. I was, um
I was just thinking
about Ritter's friend
in New York, Dwayne.
Yeah.
I hope he's okay.
He's a he's a great guy.
Yeah, I'm I'm really sorry
to hear about that.
Do you need something?
[CHUCKLES]
I do, yeah. Actually, I, um,
I have a favor to ask of you.
What kind?
Uh
[TENSE MUSIC]
Oh. How did that happen?
Well, when the bullets started flying
and I dropped to the ground, I
I landed on my Halligan.
- Ouch.
- Yeah.
And you stitched it up yourself.
Yeah, I don't wanna make a thing of it.
You know, 'cause
Lieutenant Kidd already thinks
I'm a big pain in the ass, but
yeah, I found a suture kit
and I gave it a go
with the needle and stuff,
but it turns out
sewing's harder than I thought.
Yeah, you're a lunatic.
Not the first time I've heard that.
Okay. Well, get in the ambulance.
I'll clean it out
and stitch it up for you.
Thank you.
[CHUCKLES]
I did a pretty good job if you don't
Ah, that's what you think.
Hey.
You're still burning the midnight oil?
Not by choice.
Pascal lit into me 'cause I still
haven't turned in my incident report.
No rest for the weary.
Been there.
Well, unlike you, this wasn't my fault.
I can't find a moment's peace
in this godforsaken place.
Hey, listen, Mouch.
About the office, um
I fought hard for it, really hard.
And I'll be honest,
it's tough to let it go.
But you earned it too.
And in some ways, it's just
as much yours as it is mine.
It is actually literally just his.
Okay, so with all that
in mind, I thought, what if
what if we split it?
You know, some days
it'll be mine, some days yours.
I mean, we can even make up a calendar,
you know, to make it official.
So like a time share?
Exactly, yeah.
I mean, I can take down some of
Kenny's drawings if you want
and clear out some wall space.
I wouldn't ask you to do that.
Oh, please do,
because his drawings are awful.
So come on.
Say yes.
Before I regret it.
[SOFT MUSIC]
Deal.
I'll start clearing out some space.
I guess the guilt finally got to him.
I saw you turn in that report hours ago.
Oh, did I?
[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]
♪
Thank you.
[SIGHS]
Hey.
You came.
Of course I did.
♪
Ms. Davis, Chief Pascal is here.
- Chief.
- Good morning.
- Thanks for coming in.
- Of course.
Sorry about the disaster zone.
It's been a messy transition.
I appreciate you making the time.
Please have a seat.
I was just reading up on you.
Commendations, Award of Valor.
You've got quite the reputation.
Just doing my job.
Lucky me.
My house is in your district.
Well, let's hope if the worst happens,
your call is one that
actually gets answered.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I guess bad news travels fast.
So it's true.
What have you heard?
The city's sitting on a report,
one that says that half of
911 calls are going unanswered.
That is correct.
Do you realize what
a serious problem this is?
Of course I do.
But we inherited this mess.
We didn't create it.
Well, I don't care whose fault it is.
I wanna know something's
being done about it.
There is.
But you're not going to like it.
I got a bad feeling about this.
51, thank you for gathering, everyone.
I just got back from the mayor's office,
and this is what I learned.
The city's in worse shape
than it's led on.
Budget-wise,
they're completely underwater.
They've already
reduced services at 911 and PD.
Let me guess. We're next.
Now, the good news is that
51's not shutting down,
but to conserve resources,
the city's implementing
strategic brownouts
and rig reductions,
effective immediately.
- We're losing rigs?
- Which ones?
Well, it'll be on a rotating basis,
sometimes Engine, sometimes
Truck, sometimes Squad.
Does this include the medics?
EMS doesn't lose any rigs,
but you'll be covering more ground
filling in for houses that go offline.
- How much more?
- Still TBD.
But I'm not gonna sugarcoat it for you.
Your runs will be longer
and your shifts will be busier.
Bottom line is, this is our new reality.
At least for the foreseeable future.
What about response time?
Our response times are already
All good questions. I know, I know.
And I'll get answers.
But for now, just know
you'll be working harder,
sleeping less, and carrying more.
But this is when the best
show what they're made of.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
And if I learned one thing
in this last year,
you are the best.
So let's show the city how it's done.
- Yes, Chief.
- Copy that, Chief.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, Chief.
♪
Chief.
I wanted to let you know
I called around about Vasquez.
I got some negative feedback.
Meaning?
He has a rep
for insubordination with his officers,
always pushing back,
not following the rules.
It's why he's been
bumped around so often.
Yeah. I had heard about that.
Well, if these budget cuts
mean we'll be paring back
staff on rigs, it seems like
it's best to let him go.
Vasquez is staying.
[SOFT TENSE MUSIC]
♪
May I ask why?
Vasquez needs a leader like you,
one who has the confidence
to take him on,
show him who's boss, elevate his game.
Okay, but
why why bring someone like
this into the firehouse at all?
How good a firefighter can he be, Chief?
♪
The only answer I can give you right now
is that this job is Vasquez's
last hope to stay in the CFD.
And I need that to happen.
Why would Pascal
need Vasquez to stay?
I have no idea.
So you were right.
Something is off about the whole thing.
It's
hi, Terry.
- Hi, guys.
- Hi.
Apologies for just showing up,
but I have an issue that's
extremely time-sensitive.
Terry, I thought we said that we were
putting a hold on adopting a baby.
You did, yeah.
This isn't about a baby.
Before Natalie
and her sister reconnected,
you asked me about the possibility
of officially taking her in as a foster.
But then she moved in with Julia,
and she's really happy there.
Which is terrific.
Truth is, uh,
there aren't a lot of people
willing to take in teenagers.
Right? There are no months-long
waiting lists like there are
with the youngest children.
But it did seem like it was
something you guys were open to.
Look.
Right now, there is a great kid
who's about to be removed
from his group home
and he has nowhere to go.
So I have to ask
would you two be willing to meet him?
[SOFT APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]
♪
Okay, I'm gonna call Ritter,
fill him in,
and get the update on Dwayne.
His last text said that
Dwayne was out of critical,
but no other details.
- Oh.
- Have a good one, Vasquez.
Hey, and now don't try
and take out your appendix
while you're off-shift, okay?
Can't make any promises.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[WOLF HOWLS]
We're frontliners.
We have to make the calls
nobody else wants to make.
And you live with the fallout.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Send me some water!
I got this! Clear the second floor!
I don't even think Herrmann
wants to be chief.
Did you lay down your bugles
for me?
It's time for you to get your chance.
When I said that I didn't
want us to move in together,
that was me being honest.
If you can't see a future together,
we shouldn't be together.
Things change. It's inevitable.
Even at 51.
[siren wailing]
I put in an application
with the Denver Fire Department.
I hope you find what you need there.
♪
Sam? What are you
Look, I know
this hurts like hell.
I'm really sorry
this adoption didn't work out.
There's something you need to see.
Kelly, we're pregnant.
♪
When I took the test
last week, it said positive.
So I don't understand.
Losing a pregnancy
this early on is fairly common.
A lot of people don't even know
they're pregnant at that stage.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
The good news is that there's
nothing in the exam
or the labs to suggest
any issues that would stop you
from having a healthy pregnancy
in the future.
That's that's great to hear.
Yes.
Um, thank you, Dr. Simmons.
[PHONE RINGING]
Are they here?
Okay, great. I'll be right out.
Apologies, but I need
to get to that meeting.
Best of luck to you.
I am here if you need anything.
- Thank you, Doctor.
- Thank you.
♪
I'm sorry.
Babe.
- Hey. For what? Hey.
- [SNIFFLES] I just
because I just
like, I should have waited a few days
to tell you or taken another test.
No.
You don't need to apologize
to me for anything.
We're in this together.
Every step of the way.
♪
Okay. [SNIFFLES]
This goes against our protocol.
He's been a problem for us repeatedly.
I know. That's why it's called a favor.
Well, we've discussed it internally
and we have concerns.
But ultimately,
we wanna keep these
department channels open, so
we're gonna assign him to Firehouse 51.
Do I have a say in this?
Think you know the answer to that.
But 51 was the CFD's choice
for a reason.
So you should be flattered.
- Good morning.
- Hey. Morning.
What?
I can't help but notice
that uh, you are still in here.
I am?
How long has it been
since Mouch made lieutenant?
Do you not see me
in the process of moving out?
That has taken you
an entire month?
Some of these items
are very fragile.
You're not leaving, are you?
You see Mouch complaining?
Look, all I'm saying is,
the sign says "Officers Quarters."
You're not an officer anymore.
And Mouch can't keep using the
Squad lunch table as his desk.
Yeah, you know what my
favorite part of this office is?
The door.
Hey, you know, the new
Truck guy starts today.
You might wanna try setting
a good example for once.
Hey!
I am the model of professionalism!
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Vasquez.
Yeah, that's me.
Good to meet you, Chief.
Same.
I, uh, heard a lot about you.
Let's head in.
Here's your new crew.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Briefing room's here.
♪
Here you go.
Pick out a locker,
make it your own.
Welcome to 51, Vasquez.
Thank you, sir.
Oh, hey there.
I'm, uh, I'm Sal Vasquez.
Oh, well
I am your lieutenant, Stella Kidd.
Yeah, I'm looking forward
to getting into it.
You know, meeting the team.
Yeah.
Well, you should know
that you are replacing
a hell of a good driver.
Not as good as me.
[ALARM BLARES]
Ambulance 61, Engine 51,
Truck 81, Squad 3,
- structure fire.
- Let's move, Vasquez.
9832 South Western.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[SIRENS WAILING]
[VEHICLE RATTLING]
[ENGINE REVVING]
He's a little heavy on the pedal.
You know what?
I was thinking the same thing.
Which house are you
coming from, Vasquez?
Uh, 25.
Slow action compared to you guys.
Yeah, every house is.
What the hell?
[HORNS HONKING]
81 to Main,
we have a rolling truck on fire
en route to the gas station.
- [HORN BLARES]
- Whoa! Whoa!
Whoa!
Ah!
Whoa, Vasquez!
Hey! Do not get too close.
Copy, copy.
♪
We'll take the gas station.
♪♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Drop the cross-lay now!
- Ritter, grab the jaws.
- Copy.
Let's go.
[SIREN WAILING]
Hurry up! Let's go!
Yo, this lady's hurt.
Cruz, Capp, Tony, grab extinguishers!
- Get this fire out.
- Copy.
All right. Let's get the door open.
- Go!
- All right.
[GROANING]
One, two, three.
She got attacked by two dudes
in a pickup truck
trying to rob her.
I saw the whole thing.
- Hit it, Vasquez!
- Copy.
All right. See if you can grab a pulse.
I'll try.
I got an injured victim
at the gas station.
Okay, I gotta tag this black
and get to the other patient.
I'm gonna call for another
ambulance and the police.
Copy.
♪
61 to Main, send a second
ambo and CPD to our location.
- We got you.
- Okay.
What have you got?
Gina here got a gash
on the back of her head.
Knows her name, what day it is.
Are you hurt anywhere else, Gina?
I-I don't think so.
She was attacked by two guys
in that truck that was on fire.
There was only one person in that truck.
What?
Hey, you called the police, right?
Yeah, same time as I called in the fire.
- All right. Call them again.
- Yeah.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
Hey.
Hey, don't move!
[SIREN WAILING]
♪
Stay put.
- [TIRES SCREECH]
- Stop fighting!
He's the second attacker!
Hey.
♪
Vasquez went a little rogue
on the drive.
He pulled a hard U-ey
before Kidd gave the order.
But the man can handle a truck.
Mm, I like the sound of that.
Carver came in with attitude too.
Mm, I remember.
Kidd whipped him into shape
pretty fast.
Is there still no contact?
No. We're, um,
we're standing on our agreement
to give each other the space
to move on.
I am not letting it
be all sad, okay?
We got to tell each other
how we really felt.
Lots of people never
get that chance.
That's true.
Since Dwayne moved to New York,
we've actually been texting.
A lot.
Really?
I was starting to get excited too.
Like, after everything,
maybe this really is the guy.
Mm-hmm.
But the last 24 hours,
he's been MIA.
Maybe it got too much for him.
You don't know that.
[SPEAKS SPANGLISH]
Hey.
What's the deal
with Dom Toretto over there?
You know his story?
Nope.
That's quite the move
he pulled off on Truck.
That's your old spot.
You're not curious?
[SCOFFS]
I get to know Carver, he leaves.
I get to know Damon,
he's transferred.
I figure I ignore this guy,
he'll stick around.
So that's my plan.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I would love to finish
this report in peace.
You do know that you can
do that in your office, right?
I guess that means you'd have
to confront your squatter.
[SIGHS] Herrmann's just
taking his time.
I'm sure he has
an end date in mind.
- When, 2050?
- [SCOFFS]
Look, Mouch, I get it.
The guy,
he gave up his bugles for you.
But you're a lieutenant now.
It's time to lay down the law.
Hey, check this out.
They're showing the footage
of the gas station attack.
Another brazen
daylight attack in Chicago.
But this one
did not go as planned.
That's the victim.
Security camera footage
captured the moment
where this woman bravely
fought off her attackers.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Oh, yeah.
Look at that.
Now one of the attackers is dead
and the other is in custody.
Still wonder what the hell took
the cops so long to show up.
And now a statement
from the mayor's office.
Oh, great, now we gotta hear
the new mayor's talking head
tell us how everything is hunky-dory.
Mayor Benning intends to tackle
this high crime rate
we've inherited.
We're facing it head-on
and we have plans
to turn this city around.
Oh, just like they always say,
and then things get worse.
Vasquez, can I see you a minute?
Sure thing.
I know that tone. She is not happy.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
So I have to give my report
to Pascal in a minute.
but I wanted to talk to you first.
Yeah. Sounds good.
You did not wait for my orders
en route to that last call.
You made a reckless U-turn
and you started after that
pickup without a word to me.
But I but I
I knew we had to go after it.
And we're not gonna
we're not gonna let a fireball
just roll down Western Avenue, right?
I think what you mean to say
is you are sorry and
that will never happen again.
Okay.
Yeah, sure. Won't happen again.
♪
What's wrong?
You wanna see his résumé?
I wanna know why you brought him here.
Well, I heard Vasquez
is a great firefighter.
The word I got was gutsy.
He has an attitude problem.
I have dealt with his kind before.
You straightened them out.
He's six hours into his first shift.
So that means what we saw out there
was him on his best behavior.
So what was it that he did exactly?
He acted without waiting
for orders from his lieutenant.
And I get the distinct impression
that's not the first time
he's done that.
So you wanna cut him loose?
I have to know that
my men will fall in line
or I put our entire company at risk.
We've lost a lot of
good firefighters lately.
I suggest you take a beat
before you risk losing another.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
How'd it go?
He seems to think that
I'm jumping the gun.
You agree with him?
Well, I wasn't in there to hear it all.
Whatever you decide, I got your back.
Well, that's that's not an opinion.
Look, you you've been, like,
walking on eggshells around me lately,
and it's just not helping anything.
So please, say what you think.
I think you've had a lot
going on lately and
You mean I'm bringing
my personal life into work.
I didn't say that, Stella.
Truth is, I don't care
about this Vasquez guy.
I care about you.
I know.
But when I'm at work, I am at work.
Vasquez is trouble,
and something is off
with Pascal's attitude.
♪
You got a sec?
Uh, yeah.
What can I do for you, Lieutenant?
Uh, I was just curious
if you had an ETA on, uh
on the moving out.
Oh.
I mean, I know
you've been working on it.
But it has been a while.
No, you're right.
I probably, you know,
could pick up the pace.
- Great.
- Yeah.
Yeah, it's just, you know,
it's been a little nuts around here.
You know, I I didn't realize
when I got demoted, you know,
how much, you know, retraining
I'd have to do for Truck.
- Right.
- It's just taking time.
And then, the
you know, the cut in pay.
I've had to figure out ways
to bring in extra income.
And currently, I'm working
my way through this.
- "More Money Now."
- Yeah.
It's absolutely useless so far.
But, you know, Cindy,
she's looking to pick up some work.
And Annabelle,
she may end up in trade school
instead of college, but that would help.
Hey, you know what?
Now I think about it,
there's been so much change
around here lately.
I don't think we should rock the boat.
So I you don't want me
to move out of here?
I'm just saying you take your time.
There's no rush.
Okay.
If that's what you want.
[SIGHS]
That's what I want.
All right.
Yeah, yeah.
Cool. [SIGHS]
[SOFT MUSIC]
♪
So was this an order from Kidd
or do you just have
a thing for bathrooms?
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
Little bit of both.
Nothing like good old
manual labor, right?
Yeah, if you say so.
Hey, for what it's worth,
I was the new guy last year,
and I know it has its challenges.
So if you ever wanna talk.
I appreciate that.
But I don't worry too much
about firehouse dynamics.
Is what it is.
Okay.
But you should know you won't
find a better lieutenant anywhere.
Okay. Good to hear.
See, a lot of them have
more bugles than brains.
You do not wanna underestimate her.
Trust me.
And uh, don't forget the shower stalls.
[SIGHS]
- Hey, Mouch.
- Hey.
Am I interrupting?
It's my lot in life now.
I'm sorry to hear that.
So I was supposed to FaceTime
with Dwayne this morning.
He wanted to show me
his new apartment in New York.
Uh, but he didn't call.
And I can't get a hold of him.
I-I know he's tight with Trudy,
so maybe you could just check with her,
see if she's talked to him recently?
Okay. I can do that.
Amazing. Thank you.
You're welcome.
You just make sure that she knows
I am not, like,
freaking out or anything.
You know, just curious.
Maybe just take yes
for an answer, Ritter.
Of course.
Thank you.
Anything I could do to help?
Peace and quiet. That's all I need.
Copy.
- Thanks again, Mouch.
- Mm-hmm.
I just get a gut feeling, you know?
And I trust my gut.
You should. You should trust your gut.
What are you looking for in here?
All right, we used to have
a small outdoor shovel.
I am gonna have Vasquez
do a little bit of gardening out front.
How did this get in here?
Ah. [SIGHS]
Um
we got you guys some baby stuff
when you thought
you were coming back from Med
with a baby.
There's more in the back.
That's really sweet.
It's around for whenever.
Or if ever.
Where are you guys at with all that?
[SOMBER MUSIC]
Uh, it's been a little bumpy.
We told Terry to hold off
on the whole adoption process for now.
Yeah, I totally get it.
You guys are on a serious
emotional roller-coaster.
I'm gonna go back to being frustrated.
- It's more fun.
- Okay.
Where the hell is the shovel?
Maybe Capp took it back
to his mom's place?
[ALARM BLARES]
Squad 3, Truck 81,
Ambo 61, house fire.
Northwest corner of Christiana
and West 21st Street.
[SIRENS WAILING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Dispatch said Christiana
and West 21st Street, right?
Yeah, that's what I got.
Squad 3 to Main, no sign of
fire at Christiana and 21st Street.
Do you have any more
information on this?
Squad 3, standby.
Dollars to donuts,
the fire's on East 21st.
Main to Squad 3,
confirming a single report
of fire at Christiana
and West 21st Street.
That's all we got.
No smoke? Single report?
It's probably just a bunch
of kids messing around.
We'd better suss it out just to be sure.
All right, Squad,
let's check the south side.
- Copy that.
- All right. Herrmann, Ritter,
check the bravo side of this building.
Work your way east on 21st.
- Vasquez, you're with me.
- Copy that.
We'll come up this way.
♪
He shot me.
We got a gunshot victim over here.
Copy!
- Hey.
- Vasquez. We got a GSW!
[TIRES SCREECH]
Lieutenant, get down!
Get down! Gun, gun, gun!
Squad 3 to Main,
we need police backup now!
[GUNFIRE]
Copy, Squad 3. Will notify CPD.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Hey, Lieutenant, we're code 4.
Doesn't look like
they're doubling back around.
Are you all right?
- Are you okay?
- Yeah.
All right. Hey, we're clear!
Everyone all right?
Yeah, we're good!
Come on.
Stay with me.
Need a jump pack
and the stretcher over here.
Coming to you.
- Hey, Ritter, give her a hand.
- On it, Lieutenant.
[GROANING]
I'm sorry. I know.
I gotta put pressure on it.
- What's your name?
- [BREATHING HEAVILY] Caleb.
Hang in there for me, Caleb. We got you.
Anybody catch a look at the dirtbags?
Yeah, they were in a black 4Runner.
No tags. Male Hispanic driver.
Squad 3 to Main, we got an
offender in a black Toyota 4Runner
heading northbound on Christiana.
GSW victim being treated
on-scene right now.
Main to Squad 3,
waiting for an available
CPD unit to respond.
We'll update with an ETA.
Well, damn. Thanks for nothing.
Hemostatic gauze and Kerlix.
- Through-and-through?
- Penetrating.
Cut the shirt, please.
Here's that gauze.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Okay.
[GROANING]
I know. I know it hurts.
We're gonna get you the pain meds.
We just gotta try
to stop the bleeding first.
Heart rate's 104. BP's 92, palp.
All right.
Let's get him in the rig.
Give him a 16-gauge. Run it wide open.
We'll give him 50 of fentanyl en route.
- Copy.
- On three. One, two, three.
Like the OK Corral out here today.
Still no PD?
Yeah.
♪
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
[GROANING]
[GROANS]
Okay.
Looked like a gang thing.
The victim must have been
hiding out till he heard the sirens.
He probably thought the SUV
would just take off
once he saw us rolling up.
It turns out they were happy
to take all of us down with him.
Yeah, but you,
you were a beat ahead of us.
You seemed to know
the bullets were coming.
Uh, yeah, yeah.
I did some time at the police academy.
You know, before I got
in the firefighter track.
I, uh, I guess I honed some instincts.
Yeah. Huh.
[BAG CRINKLING LOUDLY]
Sh
I can't work with all this noise.
Vasquez probably saved
all of our lives out there.
You think that might
warm Kidd up a little?
I think it's all about his attitude.
He's got confidence to spare.
Hope that he gets that
he's on the ropes.
Yeah, but it's kind of
like a charming confidence,
don't you think?
No.
I don't.
We got another GSW here.
I'm gonna call Abby
who works over at 911,
see if she knows why there have
been so many delayed responses
the last few shifts.
Vasquez was at the police academy.
And that was before
he switched firehouses a bunch.
This guy is all over the place.
I wonder if he's the one who
decided to do all the jumping
or if he got booted.
I'm gonna call around a bit,
see if I can get some background
and just fill out the picture.
You two. Follow me.
We can go through your reports
on the shooting call.
Once the shooting stopped,
I tried to grab a plate,
but SUV didn't have one.
What did PD say when they got there?
Nothing. They never showed.
What do you mean they never showed?
Maybe they showed up after we left.
So PD was late to the first call
and a no-show on the second?
That's right.
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
Yeah. Come in.
I'm sorry to interrupt,
but you're gonna wanna hear this.
Go ahead.
I have a friend over at 911.
After the shooting,
I gave her a call to see
if she could explain
what is going on over there.
Yeah, we were just trying to
make sense of that ourselves.
She said that over
the last couple months,
a bunch of dispatchers have
quietly been let go.
And apparently, it is the same at PD.
Did she say why?
No one has said anything.
But now they're drowning in calls
and apparently,
they don't have the resources
to respond to them.
That's why PD didn't show today?
They literally don't have the manpower.
If they're not responding
to a shots fired call,
what else are they missing?
Do we have any idea how many
calls they aren't getting?
Apparently, City Hall
is sitting on a report
that says of all calls coming in to 911,
49% of them are going unanswered.
Half of all calls?
- That can't be right.
- That's what she told me.
And the city is doing nothing about it?
Why weren't we notified?
I don't know.
What the hell's going on here?
[PHONE BUZZES]
Well, if it isn't my better half.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Oh, my God.
Mouch, what's wrong?
Trudy got a call from NYPD.
Dwayne?
He's in the hospital
for a gunshot wound.
How bad?
They just took him into surgery.
That's [SNIFFLES]
That's all we know right now.
♪
I'm so sorry, brother.
I told Ritter to just go.
So McKenna from first shift
will be here any minute.
I hope Dwayne's okay.
Trudy sounded pretty shaken up.
Just called the new mayor's office.
Don't expect to hear back,
but in the meantime,
we gotta start kicking down doors
with anyone we know in city government.
Mm? Who do we know?
We could call
the commissioner, DC Boden.
I checked with headquarters and Boden.
They didn't know anything about it.
I think it's probably over
the department's pay grade.
If they knew anything, we'd know too.
We have helped out a lot
of aldermen over the years.
Yeah, I made a connection
with Alderman Molina last year.
- I can reach out to him.
- That's right. Good. Who else?
Herrmann's pissed off
the city treasurer.
Does that help?
He'd probably remember Herrmann's name.
Right. Dale Andrews.
I could give him a call.
I feel like there's someone
[PHONE BUZZING]
It's the mayor's office.
Well, that was fast.
Pascal here.
Yes, I did.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Yes, I can.
Thank you. I appreciate it, Ms. Davis.
Yes.
Mayor Benning's chief of staff.
She wants to meet with me in her office
first thing tomorrow.
Maybe you'll get some answers.
Maybe.
I got the feeling
there's more to it than that.
♪
Hey, Novak.
Hey. What's up?
You okay?
Yeah, yeah. I was, um
I was just thinking
about Ritter's friend
in New York, Dwayne.
Yeah.
I hope he's okay.
He's a he's a great guy.
Yeah, I'm I'm really sorry
to hear about that.
Do you need something?
[CHUCKLES]
I do, yeah. Actually, I, um,
I have a favor to ask of you.
What kind?
Uh
[TENSE MUSIC]
Oh. How did that happen?
Well, when the bullets started flying
and I dropped to the ground, I
I landed on my Halligan.
- Ouch.
- Yeah.
And you stitched it up yourself.
Yeah, I don't wanna make a thing of it.
You know, 'cause
Lieutenant Kidd already thinks
I'm a big pain in the ass, but
yeah, I found a suture kit
and I gave it a go
with the needle and stuff,
but it turns out
sewing's harder than I thought.
Yeah, you're a lunatic.
Not the first time I've heard that.
Okay. Well, get in the ambulance.
I'll clean it out
and stitch it up for you.
Thank you.
[CHUCKLES]
I did a pretty good job if you don't
Ah, that's what you think.
Hey.
You're still burning the midnight oil?
Not by choice.
Pascal lit into me 'cause I still
haven't turned in my incident report.
No rest for the weary.
Been there.
Well, unlike you, this wasn't my fault.
I can't find a moment's peace
in this godforsaken place.
Hey, listen, Mouch.
About the office, um
I fought hard for it, really hard.
And I'll be honest,
it's tough to let it go.
But you earned it too.
And in some ways, it's just
as much yours as it is mine.
It is actually literally just his.
Okay, so with all that
in mind, I thought, what if
what if we split it?
You know, some days
it'll be mine, some days yours.
I mean, we can even make up a calendar,
you know, to make it official.
So like a time share?
Exactly, yeah.
I mean, I can take down some of
Kenny's drawings if you want
and clear out some wall space.
I wouldn't ask you to do that.
Oh, please do,
because his drawings are awful.
So come on.
Say yes.
Before I regret it.
[SOFT MUSIC]
Deal.
I'll start clearing out some space.
I guess the guilt finally got to him.
I saw you turn in that report hours ago.
Oh, did I?
[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]
♪
Thank you.
[SIGHS]
Hey.
You came.
Of course I did.
♪
Ms. Davis, Chief Pascal is here.
- Chief.
- Good morning.
- Thanks for coming in.
- Of course.
Sorry about the disaster zone.
It's been a messy transition.
I appreciate you making the time.
Please have a seat.
I was just reading up on you.
Commendations, Award of Valor.
You've got quite the reputation.
Just doing my job.
Lucky me.
My house is in your district.
Well, let's hope if the worst happens,
your call is one that
actually gets answered.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I guess bad news travels fast.
So it's true.
What have you heard?
The city's sitting on a report,
one that says that half of
911 calls are going unanswered.
That is correct.
Do you realize what
a serious problem this is?
Of course I do.
But we inherited this mess.
We didn't create it.
Well, I don't care whose fault it is.
I wanna know something's
being done about it.
There is.
But you're not going to like it.
I got a bad feeling about this.
51, thank you for gathering, everyone.
I just got back from the mayor's office,
and this is what I learned.
The city's in worse shape
than it's led on.
Budget-wise,
they're completely underwater.
They've already
reduced services at 911 and PD.
Let me guess. We're next.
Now, the good news is that
51's not shutting down,
but to conserve resources,
the city's implementing
strategic brownouts
and rig reductions,
effective immediately.
- We're losing rigs?
- Which ones?
Well, it'll be on a rotating basis,
sometimes Engine, sometimes
Truck, sometimes Squad.
Does this include the medics?
EMS doesn't lose any rigs,
but you'll be covering more ground
filling in for houses that go offline.
- How much more?
- Still TBD.
But I'm not gonna sugarcoat it for you.
Your runs will be longer
and your shifts will be busier.
Bottom line is, this is our new reality.
At least for the foreseeable future.
What about response time?
Our response times are already
All good questions. I know, I know.
And I'll get answers.
But for now, just know
you'll be working harder,
sleeping less, and carrying more.
But this is when the best
show what they're made of.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
And if I learned one thing
in this last year,
you are the best.
So let's show the city how it's done.
- Yes, Chief.
- Copy that, Chief.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, Chief.
♪
Chief.
I wanted to let you know
I called around about Vasquez.
I got some negative feedback.
Meaning?
He has a rep
for insubordination with his officers,
always pushing back,
not following the rules.
It's why he's been
bumped around so often.
Yeah. I had heard about that.
Well, if these budget cuts
mean we'll be paring back
staff on rigs, it seems like
it's best to let him go.
Vasquez is staying.
[SOFT TENSE MUSIC]
♪
May I ask why?
Vasquez needs a leader like you,
one who has the confidence
to take him on,
show him who's boss, elevate his game.
Okay, but
why why bring someone like
this into the firehouse at all?
How good a firefighter can he be, Chief?
♪
The only answer I can give you right now
is that this job is Vasquez's
last hope to stay in the CFD.
And I need that to happen.
Why would Pascal
need Vasquez to stay?
I have no idea.
So you were right.
Something is off about the whole thing.
It's
hi, Terry.
- Hi, guys.
- Hi.
Apologies for just showing up,
but I have an issue that's
extremely time-sensitive.
Terry, I thought we said that we were
putting a hold on adopting a baby.
You did, yeah.
This isn't about a baby.
Before Natalie
and her sister reconnected,
you asked me about the possibility
of officially taking her in as a foster.
But then she moved in with Julia,
and she's really happy there.
Which is terrific.
Truth is, uh,
there aren't a lot of people
willing to take in teenagers.
Right? There are no months-long
waiting lists like there are
with the youngest children.
But it did seem like it was
something you guys were open to.
Look.
Right now, there is a great kid
who's about to be removed
from his group home
and he has nowhere to go.
So I have to ask
would you two be willing to meet him?
[SOFT APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]
♪
Okay, I'm gonna call Ritter,
fill him in,
and get the update on Dwayne.
His last text said that
Dwayne was out of critical,
but no other details.
- Oh.
- Have a good one, Vasquez.
Hey, and now don't try
and take out your appendix
while you're off-shift, okay?
Can't make any promises.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[WOLF HOWLS]