What is ‘Squad’ on Chicago Fire?

The Chicago Fire episode “Halfway to the Moon” was significant in multiple ways. It was a good showcase for Gallo (Alberto Rosende), who had been more of a supporting player in the previous episodes, and it showed some concerning cracks in the Stellaride dynamic.

Both of these elements revolved about Gallo’s desire to join “Squad”. The word is uttered several times throughout the episode, but never defined by any one characters, which may have lead to some confusion for fans.

Here’s what you need to know about “Squad” and what it means for the 51.

What is the difference between squad and truck?

Generally, firefighting teams are broken up into two separate camps: “Truck” and “Squad”. The first is in reference to the firefighters who deal with standard situations. They carry enough equipment to handle fires, but when it comes to irregular emergencies or freak accidents, “Squad” is the way to go.

“Squad” is in reference to the firefighters who carry additional equipment to resolve any situation that comes their way. They are the “catch all” department, and their responsibilities range from a ground rescue and a clean up to dicier rescues like the one in the episode, where a construction worker is left dangling from a piece of equipment.

“Truck” and “Squad” appear to have different reputations on the show. The former is run by Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), and is generally seen as the regular team. “Squad” is run by Severide (Taylor Kinney), and is seen to be the cooler of the two options. Severide is referred to as a legend in the episode, and all parties involved seem to agree that the best firefighters eventually become a “Squad” member.

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It’s this divide that leads to the disagreement between Kidd and Severide. Kidd is annoyed that Severide uses “Truck” as a farm system to poach the best talent, and Severide feels as though he’s merely tutoring the firefighters who have the ambition to move up.

Severide also alludes to the difficulty he had getting into “Squad”. He said that he tried out for the team, but his “Truck” leader at the time, Carl Grissom (Gary Cole), hid the fact that he had been accepted because he wanted him to stick around on his team.

In the end, Gallo decides to put his “Squad” ambitions on the back burner out of loyalty to Kidd. He figures he will be able to join “Squad” anytime, and wants to spend more time under the tutelage of someone who’s supported him since day one.

Based on the drama its provoked, however, we don’t think this will be the last time “Truck” vs. “Squad” will be a talking point on Chicago Fire.

For the latest Chicago PD season 9 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago PD category at One Chicago Center.