Firehouse 51 is going to look very different moving forward in 2026.
Chicago Fire got back to business as usual in the first episode after the death-defying One Chicago crossover event of the 2026 TV schedule, but that’s not to say that the hit NBC drama is ignoring what went down in the three-parter. After the Chicago Med episode that aired just before “Hit and Run” on March 11 didn’t really acknowledge the crossover as it advanced Ripley and Lenox’s relationship, a member of Firehouse 51 was booted from the CFD after what he did during the event with Med and P.D. This was the end of Dermot Mulroney’s run as Chief Pascal.
Pascal knew that he was risking his career during the crossover, when he directly disobeyed an order from the FBI to not enter the scene of a fire that was technically under federal jurisdiction. Despite Mouch’s protests during the three-parter, the CFD Chief was ready to be arrested for his actions, which did pay off. He retrieved the data that the P.D. and Med crews needed for an antidote to what was killing off civilians and first responders alike.
The crossover ended with Pascal getting a summons from higher ups, and it was almost inevitable that he’d face consequences for his actions, especially after news that a Stranger Things vet would be replacing Pascal at 51 for at least some of Season 14. I’d originally thought that he’d be suspended for a handful of episodes before coming back, but he’s out of the CFD as of “Hit and Run” due to what he did in last week’s crossover. We have a kind of continuity from the event that wasn’t present in the latest Med episode… with the cost of a member of the 51 family.
And the episode wasn’t a total downer, despite the sad twist of losing Pascal. He spent most of the episode convinced that the CFD firing him for conduct unbecoming was a sign that he should just be done with the job forever, to the dismay of Mouch in particular, as the Engine lieutenant had been on the scene when Pascal doomed his career by saving the day in the crossover.
Mouch’s last-ditch effort to get Pascal to change his mind came in the form of a report, delivered via voiceover on top of scenes that led to the reveal that the former CFD Battalion Chief might just take his friend in Phoenix up on his offer to join the department there after all. Here’s what Mouch wrote:
As they are in this report, the events surrounding the attack on Chief Cranston’s funeral are well documented. But being a matter of public record, this lieutenant felt it necessary to give special recognition to the efforts of Battalion Chief Dominic Pascal. His courage, commitment, and heroism on that day are a reflection of a storied career in firefighting. A career that shaped leaders, that valued brotherhood, communication, accountability. A career that saw him fight for his people, to make sure they were where they belonged. The Chicago Fire Department is privileged to have had Chief Pascal serve among their ranks. Leadership like his is rare and needed. In this lieutenant’s opinion, it is his calling.
While Pascal wasn’t exactly around long enough to leave as much of an impact as Boden did, Chicago Fire did give him a good sendoff. Plus, he passed the torch to Severide as much as he could while the Squad 3 officer still holds the rank of lieutenant. I’m not quite sure that his explanation of why he was so hard on Kidd was enough to justify his treatment of her throughout Season 14, but she was at least touched to hear that it was because she reminded him of himself.