The Season 14 premiere of Chicago Fire welcomed Firehouse 51 newcomer Sal Vasquez (Brandon Larracuente), and while everyone at the station was eager to meet the new guy, Vasquez arrived under a cloud of mystery.
Fire‘s Season 14 premiere (“Kicking Down Doors”) kicked off with a meeting between several Chicagoan higher-ups, as a police chief and CFD chief debated over Vasquez. The CFD chief explained that it went against CFD protocol to keep the notorious Vasquez in duty, while the police chief reminded him it was “a favor.” The CFD Chief ultimately decided it was best to keep “department channels open,” agreeing to send Vasquez to Firehouse 51. At that, 51’s Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) raised an eyebrow.
“Do I have any say in this?” Pascal asked, but his boss wouldn’t budge, telling him that Firehouse 51 was the CFD’s choice for a reason and Pascal should be flattered.
With that, Vasquez officially became a member of Firehouse 51, but joining that tight-knit family would be easier said than done. Read what we learned so far about Vasquez, below:
Sal Vasquez had a bumpy first impression with Stella
Pascal greeted Vasquez at the station, adding that he’d heard a lot about him. Vasquez seemed a tad nervous about that as Pascal gave him the tour of Firehouse 51. Soon, Vasquez met his commanding officer, Lt. Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), who told him he was replacing “a hell of a good driver.”
“Not as good as me,” Vasquez smirked, rubbing Stella the wrong way. But before she could respond, the 51 bell rang, mobilizing the squads.
Vasquez made an incredibly bumpy debut as the squad’s new driver, zooming through the streets like a madman. Stella and the firefighters were utterly speechless after Vasquez pulled a hard U-turn before she gave the order. The combination of not waiting for an order and reckless driving had Stella feeling mighty nervous about her new firefighter, so she confronted Vasquez about the call later on.
“I knew we had to go after it,” Vasquez explained. “We’re not gonna we’re not gonna let a fireball just roll down the Western Ave., right?”
“I think what you mean to say is you are sorry and that will never happen again,” Stella said coolly.
“OK, yeah, sure,” Vasquez nodded. “Won’t happen again.”
Stella brought up Vasquez’s cockiness and negligence with Pascal, but he seemed distinctly disinterested in entertaining the complaint. Pascal encouraged Stella to take a beat, but all she could see were red flags.
