Chicago Fire is an American procedural drama series broadcast by NBC. The series was created by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt and the series is the first installment of the Chicago franchise. It has a large ensemble cast including Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney, Monica Raymund, Lauren German, Charlie Barnett, David Eigenberg, Teri Reeves, Eamonn Walker, Yuri Sardarov, Christian Stolte, Joe Miñoso, Kara Killmer, Dora Madison Burge, Steven R. McQueen, Miranda Rae Mayo, Annie Ilonzeh, Alberto Rosende, Daniel Kyri, Adriyan Rae, Hanako Greensmith, Jake Lockett, Jocelyn Hudon and Dermot Mulroney, and premiered on October 10, 2012. , the series has aired 295 episodes. In March 2026, the series was renewed for a fifteenth season, which is set to premiere on October 7, 2026.
Plot The show explores the professional and personal lives of the firefighters, rescue personnel, and paramedics of the Chicago Fire Department at the fictional Firehouse 51, home of Engine 51, Truck 81, Rescue Squad 3 and Ambulance 61.
Cast
Jesse Spencer as Captain Matthew "Matt" Casey, Truck Company 81 (seasons 1–10; guest seasons 11–12), a lieutenant at Firehouse 51 and the officer in charge of Truck Company 81. He serves as second-in-command to Battalion Chief Wallace Boden. Casey is a skilled handyman and carpenter, freelancing as a construction contractor when off-duty. He is civic-minded and becomes an elected alderman to further serve the city. Despite his reticence and aloof demeanor, he is fiercely protective of the firefighters under him and commands their loyalty and respect. He was briefly engaged to Dr. Hallie Thomas in season 1 and, from seasons 5 to 7, was married to Gabriela Dawson. In season 6, he is promoted to captain. In the season 9 finale, he begins dating paramedic Sylvie Brett. In season 10, Casey moves to Oregon to take care of Andrew Darden's sons while maintaining a long-distance relationship with Brett. He later returns in the season finale to attend Severide and Kidd's wedding. In the season 11 premiere, Brett breaks up with him, feeling that they had grown apart due to the distance. In the season 11 finale, he returns to Chicago and proposes to Sylvie. They married in season 12. Taylor Kinney as Captain Kelly Severide, Rescue Squad 3, a Lieutenant at Firehouse 51, and the officer in charge of Squad 3. In contrast to Casey, he is charismatic and portrayed as something of a "ladies' man". He and Casey have been friends since their days at the CFD Academy. His father was Battalion Chief Benny Severide, a longtime friend of Boden and Henry Mills, father of Candidate Peter Mills. In the season 4 finale, he begins dating Stella Kidd. In season 9, they become engaged. In season 10, they get married. In season 14, he attempts to succeed Dom Pascal as Firehouse 51's Battalion Chief. In the season 14 finale, Chief Pascal informed him that his promotion to Captain had gone through. Severide was given two options: Become deputy to Captain Van Meter at OFI, or become the commanding officer at 51. Monica Raymund as Paramedic in Charge Gabriela "Gabby" Dawson, Ambulance 61 (seasons 1–6; guest seasons 7–8), the younger sister of Detective Antonio Dawson. Dawson is one of the few women at 51 and is usually treated as a sister by the men. She is the Paramedic in Charge of Ambulance 61, but also attends fire academy training to become a firefighter and joins Truck 81. She later transfers back to Ambulance 61 to provide cover for Jimmy Borelli and becomes a foster parent. In season 1, she briefly dates Peter Mills. From seasons 5 to 7, she was married to Casey. In the season 6 finale, she left Chicago to head a rescue-and-relief unit in Puerto Rico, but briefly returned to say goodbye to Casey in the season 7 premiere and again for a charity ball in season 8. Lauren German as Paramedic Leslie Elizabeth Shay, Ambulance 61 (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), an experienced paramedic. Shay was the designated ambulance driver and was well-liked by the mostly male crew of 51. She and Kelly Severide shared an apartment as roommates and were best friends. She was openly lesbian and often cracked self-deprecating jokes about it. In the season 3 premiere's continuation of the season 2 finale, she was killed when a serial arsonist intentionally set a trap for first responders. She is then memorialized by her co-workers with an inscription painted on the cab door of Ambulance 61. Charlie Barnett as Firefighter/Paramedic in Charge Peter Mills, Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61 (seasons 1–3), a candidate on Truck 81, following in his deceased father's footsteps. After proving his capabilities as a firefighter, he earns a spot on Squad 3. After losing his firefighter certification due to injury, he transfers to Ambulance 61 to keep working. He eventually recovers and earns his spot back on the squad, but chooses to leave Chicago to work with his family in North Carolina. He briefly dates Gabriela Dawson in season 1. David Eigenberg as Firefighter (Ex-Captain and Ex-Lieutenant) Christopher Herrmann, previously Truck 81, Engine 51, one of the senior firefighters at 51, he serves on Truck 81 before he passes the lieutenant exam, after five previous attempts, and is officially promoted to Lieutenant in season 7, and takes over as officer in charge of Engine Company 51. As a Lieutenant, he serves as fourth-in-command to Battalion Chief Wallace Boden. A father figure to the firehouse, the men and women often come to him for advice. He, Otis, and Dawson jointly invest in a small bar, which they call Molly's. Molly's is also featured on Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med as a favorite hangout of cops and medical personnel. In season 13, Boden persuades Herrmann to take the Captain's exam, and despite his doubts, Herrmann passes the exam and is promoted to Captain. In the season 13 finale, Herrmann voluntarily turns in his Captain's bugles to allow for Mouch to take the Lieutenant spot on Engine and is demoted to firefighter. As part of this, he moved back to Truck 81. Eamonn Walker as 1st Deputy Commissioner , Battalion 25 (seasons 1–12; guest season 13), he oversees the firefighters and paramedics of Truck 81, Engine 51, Squad 3 and Ambulance 61 at Firehouse 51. A longtime veteran of the CFD, he is extremely protective of the men and women who serve under him, putting his career on the line several times to help them. He is married to Donna, a teacher, and they have a son named Terrance, who was born in season 3. In season 10, he was promoted to Deputy District Chief. In the season 12 finale, he was appointed as the new Deputy Commissioner of the CFD. In season 13, he returns to investigate a dangerous fire that caused a firefighter to be left trapped inside a burning building. Yuri Sardarov as Firefighter , Truck 81 (recurring season 1; seasons 2–8), the latest candidate assigned to 81 before Mills' assignment. He is routinely assigned to work on elevators, and his nickname came from the Otis Elevator Company. Otis became the driver after Joe Cruz transferred to Squad 3. In the season 8 premiere's continuation of the season 7 finale, he was fatally wounded and died with Cruz by his side in the hospital. Christian Stolte as Lieutenant Randall "Mouch" McHolland, Truck 81 (recurring season 1; season 2–present), another of 51's senior firefighters, Mouch is the de facto "legal advisor" of 51 and is their union representative. His nickname is a portmanteau of "man" and "couch" since he is almost always seen sitting on the couch in the lounge watching television when not on a call. In season 4, he marries Sergeant Trudy Platt. In season 13, he is promoted to Lieutenant, although he remained Senior Firefighter aboard Truck 81 with Lieutenant Kidd as the senior officer until the season 13 finale, when he was promoted to Lieutenant of Engine 51. He later moved to another firehouse when his engine was decommissioned, but returned after Engine 51 was recommissioned. Joe Minoso as Firefighter Josef "Joe" Cruz, Squad 3 (recurring season 1; main season 2–14; guest season 15;), a native of the gangster-infested neighborhood of Humboldt Park, he spends the first two seasons constantly trying to bail his younger brother out of trouble. In season 3, he briefly dates Sylvie Brett. In the season 3 finale, he transfers to Squad 3. In season 8, he marries Chloe Allen. He was formerly the designated driver for Truck 81 before his transfer to Squad 3. In season 10, his son is born, and they name him Brian Leon "Otis" Cruz. In the season 14 episode, "Firehouse 66", he told Severide that Chloe was pregnant. In the season 14 finale, he and Chloe found out that they were expecting twin girls. Teri Reeves as Dr. Hallie Thomas (season 1), Casey's ex-fiancée. They broke up due to differing views, her hectic schedule, and his irregular hours, which prevented them from spending much time together, but they remained friends. They briefly rekindled their relationship until she was murdered in a fire as part of a cover-up after she discovered one of her colleagues was selling medication to drug dealers. Kara Killmer as Paramedic in Charge Sylvie Brett, Ambulance 61 (seasons 3–12), a paramedic who joins Ambulance 61 in season three, replacing Leslie Shay after her death. She is from Fowlerton, Indiana, and is a "runaway bride" who goes up I-65 to Chicago. Initially, she has difficulty adjusting to city life due to her naivety, as shown by how she leaves cash out on the table with the windows open and rents an apartment in a neighborhood known for crime because the rent was cheap. She briefly dates Joe Cruz in season 3 and shares an apartment with Dawson before the latter's marriage to Casey. After her third partner, Jessica Chilton, is fired for drinking on the job, Sylvie is promoted to Paramedic in Charge in season 4. She dates Dawson's brother, Antonio, on and off from seasons 5 to 6 and is also briefly engaged to Chaplain Kyle Sheffield from seasons 7 to 8. In the season 9 finale, she begins dating Casey, and in season 10, she begins a long-distance relationship with Casey when he moves to Oregon, which she later ends in the season 11 premiere after feeling they have grown apart by distance. In the season 11 finale, Casey returns to Chicago and proposes to Sylvie. They married in season 12. Dora Madison as Paramedic in Charge Jessica "Chili" Chilton (recurring season 3; main season 4), brought in to replace Peter Mills as the new Paramedic in Charge. Her arrival is initially met with some frostiness from the rest of the crew since they were still getting over Mills' sudden departure. She was previously with a firehouse in the West Side and is experienced in dealing with victims of major trauma. She briefly dates Jimmy Borelli in season 4. She is later fired by Chief Boden after the death of her sister causes her to nearly kill a patient by giving them the wrong medicine, and relapse into alcoholism. After she is fired, she calls Severide for help, and he takes her to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Steven R. McQueen as Firefighter Candidate James "Jimmy" Borrelli (seasons 4–5), introduced in the season 4 premiere as a new candidate assigned to Truck 81. He briefly dates Jessica "Chili" Chilton in season 4 and also briefly replaces her as a paramedic on Ambulance 61 after Chilton is fired. Early in season 5, after his brother dies in a collapsed building, he blames Chief Boden and transfers back to Truck 81. Shortly thereafter, he is critically injured by an explosion that results in the loss of his left eye, thus ending his firefighting career.