Chicago Fire Season 14 ended on a massive cliffhanger that puts one character’s fate in danger.
Chicago Fire confirmed that one longtime iconic character may exit the show following a shocking bombshell revealed in Season 14’s fall finale on NBC. The latest season of the One Chicago series is hounded by a budget cut storyline that reflects on the real world due to the omissions of two cast members and the reduction of the roles of certain main characters in Season 14. This meant the show’s main actors (if not all of them) would not be included in every episode.
Chicago Fire Season 14 has already confirmed the exit of Darren Ritter in the first batch of episodes after he moved to New York to be closer to his boyfriend, Dwayne. Meanwhile, Sam Carver moved to Colorado, which further dampened his relationship with Violet Mikami. And now, another Chicago Fire mainstay is in danger of leaving: Lieutenant Randall “Mouch” McHolland.
Is Mouch Leaving Chicago Fire In 2025?
Chicago Fire Season 14, Episode 7 further dug deep into the Chicago Fire Department’s (CFD) budget cuts, and Firehouse 51 might be next on the chopping block. While the episode focused on Chief Pascal’s new romance with the Chicago Mayor’s Office Chief of Staff, Annette Davis (following the death of Pascal’s wife, Monica, last season), the pair’s relationship hit a major speed bump following a big reveal in the episode’s cliffhanger.
Davis told Chief Pascal that some of the budget from the CFD will be redirected to prevent another teachers’ strike from happening, pointing out that they had “no choice” and they needed to reallocate money quickly, without starting a new and bigger backlash:”
Annette Davis: “What you said yesterday about fences and roofs, and making tough choices. We had to avert a teachers’ strike. We had no choice. So I had my budget team look for money to reallocate quickly without starting a new and bigger backlash. We pulled from infrastructure, public works, [and] admin services. There’s no easy way to say this. We asked the CFD for a list of rigs that could be permanently decommissioned. One of those rigs is in your battalion.
Chief Pascal: “Which one?”
Annette Davis: “Engine company 51. I believe the lieutenant’s name is…”
Chief Pascal: “Randall McHolland.”
Firehouse 51 will be greatly affected because the budget cuts will lead to the permanent decommission of Engine 51 (Mouch’s department). This essentially confirmed that Mouch may be on his way out of Chicago Fire sooner than expected, but there’s a chance that he could still be saved.
Chicago Fire’s latest episode also highlighted Mouch’s efforts in pitching plans for a “Universal Compartment Protocol (UCP)” for the CFD, with him seeing this as a way to address the “crazy rig rotations” that have been happening across the city:
“My point is, with all these crazy rig rotations and firefighters constantly getting shuffled from house to house, it’s high time we instituted department-wide standards for compartment organization.”
While Chief Pascal commended Mouch’s idea, he pointed out that it has to “translate into dollars and cents” to turn the tide and grab the CFD’s attention. If anything, Pascal could revisit Mouch’s proposal and make it better, making it a last-ditch effort to possibly save Engine 51 and Mouch’s job in the process.
Who Else Is In Danger of Leaving Chicago Fire?
Aside from Mouch, Chicago Fire’s 2025 fall finale didn’t feature Stella Kidd, but Kelly Severide explained that she is in Cleveland with their adopted child, Isaiah, to oversee the treatment of his sick mom. Severide confirmed that Kidd will be gone for at least two weeks from Firehouse 51, meaning that she is safe despite her prolonged absence.
However, the same couldn’t be said for Severide and Captain Tom Van Meter (Tim Hopper) after the cliffhanger ending of Chicago Fire Season 14, Episode 7, where the pair are stuck inside a soon-to-be-burning building while investigating a school fire that took place in the opening scenes.
The promo for Chicago Fire’s return on January 7, 2026 revealed that Severide and Van Meter are trapped and doing everything they can to survive. Without their gear, it would be close to impossible to get out, and they would need to send out a call for help to Firehouse 51 before it’s too late.
