.
- I have been doing this long enough
to recognize raw talent.
Mason, you ever think about applying with the CFD?
- CFD won't hire felons.
- I got you an interview
with the St. Paul Fire Department.
- I wanna keep being you and me.
- Mm, that's why we have plane tickets and Facetime.
- How you doing with this Casey situation?
- Things might be different, but we're still us.
- There is a lieutenant spot open on Truck 72.
I told Boden I want it.
- You are not leaving 81 to go over to 72, because I am.
I'm just glad I can keep your seat warm for you.
[dramatic music]
- First shift as permanent lieutenant.
How does that feel?
- Three minutes under my belt, and no major mistakes.
I'm feeling good.
- Well, you have a major decision to make
about that empty slot on Truck.
- I do, so I have floaters coming in the next two shifts,
both of them highly recommended.
So today is Kim Rossi,
she's a couple years out of the academy,
and Chief Walker says she checks all the boxes.
- Sounds good.
- Yes, but I would love any input that you have about it.
- Well, you don't want to rush it,
because you need to find the right fit.
But you also want to find someone as quickly as possible
so that your team can start to gel.
That's all I was going to say.
- Oh. No big deal.
I just thought you would add
some wise words of advice on making the choice.
- It is your decision to make,
and I trust that you will make the right one.
- All right. Thank you.
I got this.
- Great to meet you guys.
- Heard Chief Walker said good things.
- Aw, that's nice.
- No pressure. - [chuckles]
- It's an awesome place, 51.
- I'm hyped to be here.
[alarm blares]
- Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61.
Person trapped, Western and 16th.
- Here we go, 81! - Yeah, let's do this!
[suspenseful music]
[siren wailing]
- What's OFI doing here?
- Severide!
- Van Meter, what happened?
- Stairwell collapse. You gotta hurry.
- All right, stay out here. I'm going in.
I'll give the order on the radio.
- Copy that.
- We were doing an investigation
on some fire-damaged stairs when they just gave way.
The whole thing started coming down.
I was able to jump clear, but Seager wasn't so lucky.
- Seager? Where is she? She all right?
- This way, come on.
- She's down there.
♪
.
- Seager? Can you hear me?
Talk to me, Seager. - I'm here.
- Okay.
Hey, just sit tight, we're coming to get you.
- Want us to drop a ladder for you?
- No, no, we have to keep our weight off that mess,
it's too unstable.
Can you set up an overhead anchor point?
- Yeah, I'm on it.
- Squad, give me a harness bag and rope.
- 81, I need a 20-foot ladder and some webbing.
both: Copy that, Lieutenant.
- Sorry. - I got this.
- Uh, I'll grab the webbing.
Why don't you help Mouch with the ladder?
[tense music]
- I got it. - Thanks.
- Hey, Captain Van Meter, can I get a look at you?
- No, no I'm fine.
Seager's the one you need to worry about.
- Right, but until she's out of there...
- Ladder's here, boss. - Okay.
- All right.
Just drop it right here.
And then Gallo, secure the webbing.
- Copy. - Here we go.
We're gonna plant it right here.
- Hey. - Yep.
Keep going.
- Set.
- All right, Gallo,
put the carabiner about halfway up.
- Ready? - Yep.
- Okay.
♪
- Line.
- Got it.
- On line.
- Lower the main.
- All right, Tony.
Talk to me, Seager.
- Over here.
- Down.
- Slack on the main. - All right, I'm good.
Seager, hang in there. I gotcha.
All right, I'm off line. - Copy.
♪
I got her!
All right, try not to move.
Where are you pinned?
- Legs, mostly.
- Legs, okay.
[grunting]
Hang on, hang on.
Can you move your toes?
Okay.
- Okay, nice and slow, try and--
try and pull yourself out.
[both grunting]
Can you stand? - Yeah.
- Let's get the hell out of here.
- All right.
Sit down, easy. - Yeah.
All right, take us up!
- Raise the main!
♪
Okay, slack.
- You scared the hell out of me.
Are you okay? - Yeah.
- You're bleeding.
- Am I? - Yeah, come on.
Let the medic have a look at you.
All right. Hey, thanks, Severide.
You're not too bad at this hero stuff.
- That was pretty scary.
- Yeah, no kidding. Could've been real bad.
- Yeah.
Well, I guess we should cordon off this area,
you know, so nobody else falls in.
- My guys will take care of that.
- Did Squad just volunteer for cleanup duty?
- You trying to get me to reconsider?
- No, no.
No backsies, you said what you said.
All right, Truck 81, pack it up, let's head home.
Nice work, guys. - Thanks, Lieutenant.
I'm just bummed I didn't get the chance
to really, you know...
- Get up and in it? I know, me too.
- Yeah, I actually hung out with Evan again last night.
- "Evan."
Still weird to hear the boss called by his first name.
- Yeah, you think that's weird?
I referred to him as "Chief" in bed once.
I just--I blurted it out.
- Oof. - Yeah.
But I have to admit, there is something fun
about having to keep it on the D-L.
It adds a certain je ne sais quoi.
Hey, how're things with Casey?
- We have a Facetime in a few hours, actually.
- Aww.
- Hey, you guys, can I make lunch?
- That's a fast yes. - Awesome, love to cook.
- Ooh.
I like her so far.
- Yeah, she seems like good people.
- Nah, something about her really annoys me,
but I can't quite put my finger on it.
- You all realize...
She's a Gallo, right?
- What?
- What're you talking about? - It's true.
Most firefighters fit into one of about four categories,
and Rossi is a Gallo.
The "Cool Young Buck." Or in this case, Doe.
- No. No way. I'm my own type.
- You know what you guys gotta try?
My beer. I'm a home brewer.
- I think the man's point has been made.
- Whoa. - Come on, Mouch.
Everyone can't fit into one of your "types".
- Don't be offended,
I'm a classic "Mustachioed Old Timer."
- I don't know.
- Hey, Lieutenant. - Hey.
- I know you're trying out a few different possibilities,
but I got the perfect firefighter for you.
- Who?
- You remember Mason, he was a young guy
we helped out last year?
He's a good man. Real skills--
- Yes, Mason. He's great.
But he has a criminal record,
which is why he couldn't join the CFD.
- Yeah, his buddy stole a car for a joyride
when they were teenagers and Mason got caught up in it.
But he went to a formal review,
and he got the, you know, record expunged.
- Yeah, but we got him a job in St. Paul.
- We did, and he's doing great there,
but Chicago is his home.
And you know, just in case, he took some time off,
did the CFD test, he went through the academy.
Stella, I know that Mason would fit in here.
- I really appreciate you going to bat for him,
and I like the guy, but to be honest, Herrmann,
I need to hire someone who checks
all the boxes, and Mason just doesn't.
His expertise is wildfires.
I'm sorry, Herrmann, but... - Yeah.
- Say hey for me the next time you talk to him.
- Yeah.
- So this is why you volunteered us
for all this grunt work?
So that you could uh-- - Play "Fire Cop?"
- What? No.
No I was just gonna say, you know,
finish Seager's investigation.
- I'm just having a quick look.
[suspenseful music]
♪
Good.
- Off line. - Copy.
You think it was arson?
- If you wanted to burn the building down,
this would be the right place to start it.
Fire must've started further down.
I don't think I can get to it.
♪
The hell is this?
Stringer's cut halfway through.
- Say what?
- This collapse was intentional.
.
- I know you've done a bunch of shifts at other houses.
- Plenty. Bring my "A" game to each one.
- Anything in particular you're looking for
in a permanent home?
- Honestly? - Mm-hmm.
- Just the chance to kick a lot of ass.
I like to get in there and show my stuff.
Make an impression, rise above the crowd.
- Okay.
Well, that is good to know.
Thanks for talking with me, Rossi.
- You bet.
Hey.
[solemn music]
Is everything okay?
- She just got off a call with Casey.
- I just um, I really, really miss him.
♪
- What's going on?
- That collapse wasn't caused by the fire,
at least not completely.
Somebody weakened the stringers first.
Cut them halfway through. - Oh, that's messed up.
Did you tell OFI?
- Yeah.
Seager's coming here straight from Med.
- All right, well, until she gets here,
can I pick your brain about some leadership stuff?
- Yeah.
How's Rossi working out?
- That's it.
She's good enough, you know,
she handled herself on the call, but...
- She's not your missing piece?
- Exactly, you know? I need to get this right.
So do you have any tips on how to assemble a good crew?
- Keep pushing, I think I got it.
[quirky music]
♪
- I might not be the best guy to give advice on that front.
- Mm-hmm.
- Come on. Just a little more.
- And there she is.
- Hey, Severide, Kidd. - How you feeling?
- A little bruised and battered,
but, you know, mostly just angry.
So these stairs, you're sure about what you saw?
- Yes, hundred percent.
Come on, let's go fill in Boden.
- Lieutenant.
[laughter]
- Third shift Engine Lieutenant Cahill
was the incident commander at that factory fire.
Sounded like a routine call.
"Light smoke showing when we arrived,
"discovered the fire at the bottom of the stairwell.
Put it out with a single attack line."
- That's it?
- All it says here is that he thought
the fire was electrical in nature.
Damn lucky that the stairs held their weight.
- Do you guys know who owns the property?
- He's a mid-size commercial developer,
and this building seems like it's a real money pit for him.
Vacant since 2010, on the market since 2019
without a nibble.
Oh, and the insurance policy is set to run out
at the end of the month.
- A fire sure could solve
a lot of problems for him right about now.
- Arson for profit is bad enough,
but when you sabotage the structure
to maximize the damage, you all but guarantee
that someone's gonna get badly hurt.
And if that's not evil, I don't know what is.
[suspenseful music]
- You gonna talk to this guy?
- Yeah.
You want to come with?
- Damn right I do.
♪
- Hello?
Hello?
- No, it's fine. I can be there, like, 3:30.
Does that work?
- [knocks on door]
- Hey, let me call you right back.
Can I help you?
- Vincent Murphy? - Vince. Hi.
- I'm Lieutenant Seager
with the Office of Fire Investigation.
- Oh, right, I heard one of your people
got hurt at my property this morning.
Ah, well, I'm sure glad it wasn't serious.
Did you figure out how the fire started at least?
- Well, Mr. Murphy, as you probably know,
one of the things we look for is
the possibility of an arson-for-profit scheme.
- Wait, you think I tried to burn down my own building?
- There are more than a few red flags.
- No, no, no. I need this building.
I got plans for this place!
No, I'm gonna do a massive rehab,
turn it into loft apartments.
Here.
Drawings are on file with the Department of Buildings.
Look, I got the financing all lined up.
I've invested 80 grand in this project.
If that building had burned down,
stick a fork in me, I'm done.
- So what are your feelings on Rossi?
- She's a good enough firefighter,
maybe not so much of a team player.
There's just more to consider than I realized,
you know, the way that everyone fits together,
what the new person will add to the mix.
I'm just not sure she's the right fit.
- Totally.
I wasn't going to say anything, but she was just...
a lot, you know?
- Mm-hmm.
- [laughs] You do not have an easy task.
- I know.
But the guy that DC Hill recommended
is coming in next shift,
and she says that he is a really solid firefighter.
- That sounds promising. - Yeah.
- Where's Severide?
- Uh, he and Seager are following up
on the factory fire, looking for cause.
- Does it bother you, at all, him and Seager
spending all this time together?
Not that it should.
- I mean, not really. - Okay.
- A slight twinge of jealousy, maybe.
- Mm-hmm.
It's funny, with Evan-- "Chief Hawkins"--
he has all these women he works closely with,
but it, um, it doesn't really bother me.
I'm not really a jealous kind of person.
What?
- Nothing, it's just--
do you not remember how you reacted to Cara
at Blue Moon when she flirted with Gallo?
- Hey! Look who I found. - Hey, there.
- Mason.
[both laugh]
Hey, didn't know you were in town.
- Just for a few days.
Heard the news about your promotion.
Way to go. - Thank you.
- I invited Mason in.
I figured that he could do a ride-along
on Truck, you know, next shift,
just to observe Chicago-style firefighting.
- No pressure, though, for real.
If it's a bad time, please just say no.
- Of course you can ride.
- Appreciate that. - Yeah.
- I'll be so low key you'll barely see me.
- Hey, hey!
- Oh, you better go say some hellos.
- Will do. Thanks again, Lieutenant.
- Mm-hmm.
Nice try.
- Like I said, Mason's just here for a ride-along--
I thought it'd be good for the kid.
- Okay, Seager watch your step.
I already pulled you out of this mess once.
[both chuckle]
♪
Any idea what you're looking for?
- One of our guys, Markowca? - Yeah?
- Did the initial investigation.
He thought it was an electrical fire that started
in a junction box.
- Well, Markowca's a pretty sharp guy.
Why did you and Van Meter have to come
back here and double-check his work?
- Because afterwards, a call came in on the tip hotline.
Somebody suggesting there was more
to this fire than meets the eye.
- I found the junction box.
Huh. - What, what's wrong?
- Can you angle that light a little more?
- Yeah.
♪
Hey.
Whoa, hey!
[tense music]
- Hey, what's happening?
Severide?
♪
- Fire Department, stop!
- Whoa! - Hey!
- Damn it. You okay?
- Who was that? - I don't know.
He was right in there with us, who knows how long.
- What the hell is going on here?
♪
.
- You can clearly see the exposed copper wiring
is covered in fine, aerosol-type beads.
A strong indicator of electrical overcurrent.
It would have easily ignited
the surrounding wooden structure.
- So you're saying Markowca was right?
The fire was accidental.
- Sure seems like it.
- Then explain the stairs.
- I can't.
Even if you could fake the electrical origin,
why give yourself away by sawing through the stairs?
- To ensure total destruction.
That is the goal of a profit-motivated arsonist.
But you don't think the owner is behind this.
- What's your finely calibrated gut
telling you on this one, Severide?
- Well, the one thing I can't get past,
why didn't the weight of the responding engine company
bring the stairs down?
Or Markowca, when he did his initial investigation?
- You know how collapses work.
A step one inch to the left or the right
could make all the difference.
- Or...
[suspenseful music]
If this really was an accidental fire, what if
somebody came back and weakened the stairs after the fact,
and then called in a fake tip to the arson hotline?
- You mean...
They were targeting fire investigators?
- I saw this thing in a science magazine
that is freaking me out, explaining why water
is less dense when it's frozen.
Now they're talking about this extra "liquid, liquid"
phase transition with a sixth molecule.
That's crazy, right?
- I guess.
- I hope you know, you don't have
to bury your feelings about Casey.
- [exhales]
I know. I just...
I can't stop thinking about
when Amelia and Scott were here last time.
Scott said that every moment with a person you love
is precious.
And don't just let the time slip by.
[sentimental music]
I need to take some real time off.
Not just a week or even a month.
I have to go to Portland and be with Casey.
- Okay.
- Last but not least, that's Mouch.
- Howdy.
- Good to meet you. - Likewise.
- Sykes was over at 130 until it shut down.
- Big mistake, shutting down that house,
but what can you do?
Glad to be here.
If it's all right, I'd like to go
get my bunk in order, Lieutenant.
- Sure, yeah.
- So what type is he?
- Uh, "The Eagle Scout."
Common traits: solid firefighter,
hard worker, straight arrow.
But don't expect belly laughs from this guy.
- Come on. - Sounds on the money again.
- Even I could've come up with that.
- No, no. I'm not buying it.
- Mm, you don't know.
- Uh, thanks for letting me ride, Lieutenant.
I hope Herrmann didn't strong-arm you.
- You think he can push me around?
- [laughs] No, guess not.
He's kept in touch since I left for Minnesota,
You know, such a stand-up guy, you know?
When he suggested the ride-along,
you know, I had to come.
I knew I'd learn a ton from you guys.
- We really are happy to have you here.
- We pulled the file of every known arsonist
who could conceivably have a beef with OFI.
Basically any suspect from the last decade
who isn't dead or in prison.
- All people you put behind bars?
- Or tried to, even if the prosecutors
couldn't make the case.
- This is the call that came in on the hotline.
- Um, hi.
You guys had that fire yesterday
over on Western, that abandoned building?
Look, I don't want any trouble, but--
you oughta take a close look at that one.
Real close.
- So we're looking for a male, anywhere from puberty
to, what, 70?
- Maybe we could match a voice to the face?
- Don't you have a caller ID on that hotline?
- Call came in from a blocked number.
It's one of the reasons why we took it so seriously.
Thought it might be someone with intimate knowledge
of Murphy's business.
Yeah, I don't know if that one belongs in the pile.
He's pretty small fish.
- Marc Greene?
- Just a punk kid from Pilsen.
Van Meter included him because
he recently was paroled, six months ago?
- He torched a Honda Civic?
- Belonging to the guy who stole his girlfriend.
It was a dumb, impulsive move by a jilted 19-year-old.
He served 18 months for a class 2 felony.
I don't see him graduating to attempted murder.
- I'm pretty sure that's the guy I saw
lurking around the factory last night.
[suspenseful music]
♪
[knock at door]
- Marc Greene?
My name is Lieutenant Wendy Seager
with the Office of Fire Investigation.
- Who is it, Marc?
What do you want?
- We'd like to talk to Marc, ask him a few questions.
- About what? - Can we come in?
- He's been keeping his nose clean,
staying out of trouble.
Whatever you're here about, he didn't do it.
- Then it won't take long.
- Someone tried to get fire investigators
hurt or killed by luring them
into a dangerous location with an anonymous phone call.
- Well, it wasn't Marc.
- There's an easy way to prove it.
- This is a transcript of the phone call.
Would you mind letting me record you while you read it?
- No way. Not without a lawyer present.
- I couldn't have made that call anyway.
- Why's that?
- It says the call came in at 6:23 PM on Monday.
I got a welding class then, out at Universal Tech.
- See? What'd I tell you?
He doesn't have time to get in trouble.
He's too busy trying to make himself employable again
after you people ruined his life.
Now, why don't you leave him alone?
♪
- Welding class?
- I'm sure of it now.
He's the one I chased out of that factory.
- Okay.
We have some work to do.
.
- Ready? all: Ready!
- Go!
[inquisitive music]
All right, all right.
There we go, there we go, there we go.
Okay, Mason.
Good hustle, Sykes.
Come on.
Nice.
Come on, guys.
All right, Gallo.
Oho!
Attaboy, Sykes.
Come on, nice!
Come on, all right!
62 seconds.
Okay, I was looking for under 60,
but we'll get there.
- Mouch distracted me, y'know tripping in his boots.
- That's what we mustachioed old timers do
to throw the young bucks off.
Worked too, I saw you fumble the coat.
- Don't let Mouch's old-timer talk fool you,
I saw him pull the rescue of a lifetime.
- Solid performance on the drill, guys.
[alarm blares]
- Truck 81, smoke investigation,
4197 Hardy Street. - Well look at me,
with my crew ready right at the bells!
Am I the best lieutenant in the CFD or what?
- I'll second that.
[siren wailing]
[tense music]
♪
- What happened?
- We smelled smoke on the fourth floor,
but we have no idea where it's coming from.
- Okay, we'll check it out. - Thank you.
- Yeah. - Got a lockbox, Lieutenant.
I'll grab the keys. - Great.
All right, 77's caught up by a train.
Grab a few extinguishers, we're going up to four.
- On it.
- All right.
[alarm blaring]
- Ah, the smoke alarm symphony.
- Smoke must be traveling through the ventilation system.
It's gonna be hard to track down the source,
so check each unit carefully.
Mouch, Gallo, take the east end.
- Copy.
- Sykes, we'll take the west end.
- I'm on your hip, Lieutenant. - All right.
Fire department!
Open it up.
- Fire department!
- All right, I'll have a look.
You take the next one. Mason, you're with Sykes.
- Fire department!
[cats meowing] - I'm all good.
You find anything?
- Just a whole slew of cats.
The bad kind.
- 403 is clear!
Fire department!
- Smoke alarm is quiet.
- 411 is clear! - Hey, Sykes?
I know I'm just a fly on the wall here,
but that unit?
There is no smoke alarm. Somebody removed it.
- Open it back up.
♪
- Mouch, Gallo, we found it. Fire's out.
- Copy that.
- Truck 81 to Main, it was a pot of meat.
You can hold up on 77.
- Copy, 81. 77 cancelled.
- Open up some windows, would you?
- Copy that, Lieutenant.
- No, I think that's all we need for now.
Thank you.
That was Marc Greene's welding instructor
from the trade school.
Marc was definitely in class on Monday, 5:00 to 7:00.
Never left the room.
- All right, so maybe you were right about Marc.
Just a punk kid, not a cold-blooded killer.
- But you saw him there last night.
- I'm pretty sure, yeah.
- Van Meter testified against Marc.
The whole trial hinged on our forensic evidence.
We put him away.
He's six months out of prison and still struggling
to find a job, living with his parents...
- His dad did say OFI ruined his life.
- Um, hi.
You guys had that fire yesterday
over on Western, that abandoned building?
Look, I don't want any trouble, but...
you oughta take a close look at that one.
Real close.
- Marc didn't make that phone call.
- His dad did.
They're in it together.
.
- Sorry to bother you again, ma'am.
- No. We already settled this.
He couldn't have made that phone call.
- Yeah, we know. But what's your alibi?
- What're you saying?
- We're saying you're the one who made the anonymous call.
To help Marc get his revenge against OFI.
- You got it all figured out.
- Not all of it.
We can't understand why Marc went back
to that factory last night.
- No, I didn't go to any factory.
- No? What happened there?
- This? I burnt myself. On an arc welder.
- You sure you didn't cut yourself on some barbed wire?
We gonna find DNA on that fence?
- Marc didn't do anything.
I want you people outta my house, now.
- So what were you doing there?
Trying to see why your plan didn't work,
trying to finish what you started?
- No, I--I just--
- This is Seager with OFI.
I need a 10-2-100 at 1213 Southeast--
- Wait, wait--wait!
He had nothing to do with it.
[tense music]
♪
It was all me.
Why did you go there, Marc?
- I had to find out what was going on with you.
You were out till 3:00 in the morning,
Mom doesn't know where you are.
I looked at his search history.
He's been following some firefighting blog
that tracks all the fires in Chicago.
Then he started checking out one of the locations,
this old factory down on Western.
I went to go see what you were up to, but I was too late.
- It's not fair what they did to you, Marc.
You people railroaded him!
- Hey, hey! Calm down. Take a seat.
♪
- Well, you know we support you,
even though we'll miss the hell outta you.
- Hundred percent.
- I just, I need to spend some actual time
with Matt, reconnect.
When I hung up that Facetime the other day,
I just got hit with this wave of all
the things that I miss about him.
That warmth, you know?
The way he could be so strong but also so kind, and...
He has that gift of making everyone
feel like everything's gonna be okay.
- Yeah. Casey is a one in a million.
- Thanks, you guys, for always having my back.
Really gonna miss you.
[sentimental music]
♪
- It's just...
such a stupid mistake, missing that smoke.
- Could've happened to any one of us,
man, I'm telling you.
- Yeah, but I'm-- I'm not "any one of us."
I don't cut corners, I follow procedures to the letter...
- You're still human.
Listen.
Man, I could see what a good firefighter you are,
so you gotta just put this in the rear view and move on.
You get me?
- Yeah.
Thank you.
- Ah, Lieutenant.
Wanted to make sure I saw you before I got outta here.
Thanks for the opportunity. It was an amazing shift.
- Mason, you are the missing piece.
What's been missing at 51 is what Casey brought us.
And I mean, no one will ever
be able to replace him, but it wasn't just his talent
and his skills that made him so important to 51.
It was his generosity. His kindness.
His heart.
And that is what you have.
So, um...
I know you're happy in St. Paul, but...
- This is where I should be?
- Yeah.
- [chuckles]
Can't argue with the lieutenant.
♪
- Hey. - Hey.
- I figured you'd be stuck at PD a while.
- It didn't take long to get Dennis Greene booked.
But I ran into Marc, his son, on the way out.
Feel for the kid.
I know what it's like trying to get out
from under your dad's dark cloud.
- It's a tough situation.
- So I hear Mason is gonna be sticking around a while.
- Yes, yes.
I, uh, I pulled a boss lady move
and hired him on the spot.
And then I called DC Hill and begged and pleaded for her
to speed up his transfer into the CFD.
- Hold on.
Listen, I do not wanna get all worked up just for you
to get a call from OFI and have to run out and investigate.
- Not a chance.
I'm exactly where I want to be.
♪
[dramatic music]
♪
[wolf howls]