There is officially a new captain in the (fire)house! After passing the captain’s exam with top marks in season 14, Kelly Severide is officially about to accept the promotion and take over as the newest captain at Firehouse 51!
It’s been a running assumption that Severide would accept the captain position and remain at Firehouse 51; however, NBC has kept fans in the dark over whether or not Severide would accept the position or choose to accept the job at OFI. Considering that Taylor Kinney has been spotted on set working alongside the returning cast for season 15, fans have assumed that Severide was officially promoted to captain, but we’ve finally gotten concrete evidence that Severide is officially a captain within the CFD.
In a new photo snapped during filming on the 300th episode, Kinney was spotted on location, and for the first time we see that his CFD turnout coat is no longer marked with “Lieutenant Severide.” Instead, his turnout coat reads “Captain Severide,” confirming that Severide has become the newest captain within the CFD and is now the highest-ranking officer working out of the firehouse.
You can check out the photo in question from the tweet below from X user Lau:
some snipes from the chicago fire set today without spoilers!!!🥹 pic.twitter.com/yThZRac6YG
— lau 🏹 (@lausavre) September 16, 2026
Considering the number of cast shakeups coming to Chicago Fire, we never really thought that Severide would take the OFI job, but now seeing that he is officially “Captain Severide” has us more excited than we’ve been in quite some time for a season premiere.
Severide has truly come such a long way since we first met him back in season 1, and it’s been incredible watching him grow as a leader within the firehouse. Knowing that he’ll now be serving as the highest-ranking officer at 51 and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the firehouse is really exciting. It also marks a major shift in the show’s structure as we’ve always seen a chief running the show on Chicago Fire, rather than a captain, which has been the case on several other firefighter shows such as Station 19.
Of course, it’s going to be interesting to see how Severide’s promotion to captain will shake up the dynamics in the house and whether it could become the point of conflict for Severide and Kidd in the season. While the pair were once equals as lieutenants, Severide now outranks Kidd in the chain of command and will be her commanding officer in the firehouse as 51’s captain. We’re sure he’s going to always have her back, but we also can see the show exploring what happens when the pair don’t see eye-to-eye on a call and he has to pull rank.
It’s also going to be interesting to see who might fill in for Severide when he’s away on shifts, as we know the show has a tendency to sideline characters throughout the season as a result of the reduction in the number of episodes series regulars appear in each season. Typically, Cruz would step up on Squad 3 when Severide was indisposed, but with Joe Minoso leaving the show, that, of course, will no longer be the case.
We’re certainly excited to see how the forthcoming changes shake things up, but for now we’re just excited to finally have a firm confirmation that Severide has been promoted to captain and cannot wait to see what the writers have planned for him next in season 15!
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