Looking back, when Chicago Fire first premiered in 2012, no one could have ever predicted the journey the show would end up taking fans on. What started as a firefighter drama designed to tell the story of the brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve as firefighters in the Chicago Fire Department, quickly evolved into one of the most successful television franchises of all time.
A lot has changed since those early days at Firehouse 51, but one thing that has always rung true about Chicago Fire is that it’s never been afraid to shake things up in order to keep its stories moving forward.
When a show has been on the air as long as Chicago Fire has been, it must constantly find ways to turn the page and prove there's still plenty of story left to tell. Oftentimes, this comes with changes to the show’s formula, with the arrivals of new faces and the departures of longtime favorites being used as a tactic to keep things fresh.
It’s a tactic fans have seen come into play once again in season 15, which has seen a handful of cast shakeups. Most recently, the show’s 300th episode was used to close the book on Joe Minoso’s time on the show, bringing an end to an amazing chapter in Chicago Fire’s story. While it’s been bittersweet to see Cruz’s time on the show end, his departure has helped to usher in a new era for Chicago Fire—one that will allow the show to tell stories we’ve never seen before with help from the season’s newest addition.
Burke just made history on Chicago Fire by joining Squad 3
In Chicago Fire season 15, episode 6, the probies reached the end of their probationary training period as their time at Firehouse 51 drew to a close. Throughout the episode, we saw Kidd going to bat to try to help all three of her probies find a place within the CFD at a time when there were extremely limited options with only one full-time opening in all of the CFD limited.
Ultimately, Kidd’s efforts proved successful for the most part. She was able to find a spot for Jansen over at 61 after putting in a good word with the firehouse’s lieutenant, who was in need of an addition to her unit after one of her men was injured on the job. Kidd then helped Hollis land the only opening in the CFD by putting him up for the opening on Trick 73, recognizing that Hollis would thrive under the lieutenant's leadership style.
This left Burke as the only probie without a full-time gig, though that did not last long.
While Kidd was unable to find a place for Burke, Severide was impressed enough by what he saw from the young firefighter during his time at 51 and what those at the firehouse had to say about Burke to offer him the vacant place on Squad 3. In the closing moments of the episode, Severide caught up with Burke and told him to meet him at the academy the following morning to begin his training for Squad.
The news caught Burke by surprise as he questioned whether this was even possible, which was an understandable question to have. Squad 3 is one of the most elite units in all of the CFD, and it can take years for a place on Squad to open up within the CFD, with the roles typically going to veteran members of the CFD.
“You let me worry about that; you worry about making sure that you’re up for the challenge, as it’s going to be my neck on the line,” Severide assured Burke when he questioned the decision.
Severide is indeed sticking his neck out for Burke, who is making Chicago Fire history as the first probationary firefighter to come right out of the academy and land a place on the elite unit that is Squad 3. Yes, we’ve seen new additions to Squad 3 over the years, but those additions have always been veteran firefighters who have already gained years of experience on the job, such as Cruz. For Severide to bring in a firefighter right out of the academy is a bold choice, but one that will begin a fun new era for the show.
For over a decade, we’ve seen the same four characters working together on Squad 3, and all three of those firefighters were incredibly experienced. Now we’re not only seeing a new firefighter joining their ranks but also one who is still quite green and still learning the ropes. This is going to create room for a lot of new storylines to be explored as we follow Burke on this journey and see if he can rise to the challenge and prove that Severide made the correct choice.
Of course, Burke landing on Squad 3 also opens the door for the show to reignite the old rivalry between Truck and Squad through Burke and Vasquez.
This was such a big part of the show’s early years, with Casey and Severide often butting heads and making power plays, and we’re likely to see a new era of the feud ushered in by Burke and Vasquez. We’ve already seen the pair butting heads while both working on Truck, and there is no doubt they’ll continue to engage in a friendly sibling-like rivalry now that Burke has been tapped to join Squad.
A new era is about to begin, and we could not be more excited to see where it takes us as Chicago Fire season 15 continues!
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