We knew that Chicago Fire season 14 was going to be a rough one for the CFD, and that has definitely been the case. We’ve seen a lot of changes coming for the CFD already just three episodes into the season and episode 3 saw those budget cuts hitting close to home.
As the episode opens, Chief Pascal is informed that Engine 51 is being pulled from service, resulting in Mouch and his team being sidelined unexpectedly. The last-minute decision does not sit well with Chief Pascal, who knows how these last-minute moves can result in firefighters losing much-needed paychecks.
Chief Pascal goes to see the Deputy District Chief to express his displeasure in seeing his people treated like cogs in a machine and make sure this doesn’t become the new normal. When at the office, he bumps into Annette Davis, the Mayor's chief of staff. He expresses his concerns to her over firefighters being pulled unexpectedly, and she asks him to come by later to see her.
When he catches up with her in her office, she expresses to him that the CFD needs strong leaders now more than ever. They need chiefs who can handle the pressure and that’s when she drops a major piece of news in his lap. It seems city hall and the CFD are about to reduce the number of battalion chiefs in the city with six chiefs set to be let go.
Fortunately, Chief Pascal is not on the list and his job is secure, but it’s clear that more cuts could be coming to the CFD. As they talk, Annette commends him on his passion and commitment to the job, before throwing an unexpected curveball his way in inviting him to grab a drink. He awkwardly declines the invitation as he heads out.
Later, Pascal fills Severide in on the layoffs and then tells Severide about Annette’s invitation hinting that perhaps it was politically motivated. He then makes it clear to Severide that he’s going to need him to step up even more as a leader at 51, a challenge Severide is ready to rise to the occasion for.
A familiar face returns to help Violet
Early in the episode, 51 responds to an accident involving an ambulance. The paramedic injured is a friend of Violet’s from the academy named Murphy. The accident is puzzling to Violet as there was no other vehicle involved, so she begins looking into the events that caused the accident.
As Violet looks into things, she learns that Murphy had fallen asleep at the wheel due to exhaustion from the increased workload caused by CFD layoffs. Upon learning the truth, she encourages Murphy to speak up and tell the truth so they can make a push for better protections for paramedics under these circumstances.
After some convincing, Violet brings in Paramedic Field Chief Robinson and outlines the concerns she has about how the cuts are putting a dangerous strain on paramedics. Her proposed solution is to redeploy firefighters to assist paramedics, as they have the training and could use the extra shifts with the CFD reducing hours. Chief Robinson is ready to help fight the fight, but she needs Murphy to come forward which she agrees to do.
It’s unclear whether we’ll see Chief Robinson back again, but it was certainly nice to see her return as an ally to Violet rather than an adversary.
Odds and Ends from Chicago Fire season 14 episode 3
We begin to learn more about Vasquez’s past in episode 3. While the details are fuzzy, we learn that his dad was a former police officer who ended up behind bars for allegedly planting evidence. He’s coming up for parole soon and it seems Vasquez has some suspicion about the case as he asks an old friend to help him get access to his dad’s case files.
Episode 3 also finds Kidd struggling to connect with Isaiah. She takes him shoe shopping and freezes up when the worker comments about her son having nice manners, later telling Severide she’s not sure what she is to Isaiah.She invites him to the firehouse, and he takes her up on the offer, but under the guise of requesting to see his mom sooner than planned. Kidd makes it happen, but when they get to the hospital they learn that Isaiah’s mom required an emergency procedure after fluid was found around her brain and it’s unclear whether she suffered any permanent brain damage.