When Boden (Eamonn Walker) left at the end of Season 12, he wanted Herrmann (David Eigenberg) to fill the hole left at 51. And Herrmann certainly has done that just with who he is, but the assumption was he’d be the next chief. Chicago Fire Season 13 even saw him taking the steps to do so, including becoming captain and planning to take the chief test, after Dermot Mulroney came in as Dom Pascal to lead the firehouse. But that all changed in the finale.

Pascal had been questioning if Herrmann wanted to be chief, and it turned out he was right to do so. In the finale, Herrmann revealed to Mouch (Christian Stolte) that not only was he not going to be chief, he was also stepping down to be a regular firefighter again so his friend could be lieutenant on engine.

Showrunner Andrea Newman told TV Insider that Herrmann came into the season with “this incredible pressure on him” after Boden told him he wanted him to “take the throne essentially,” with his friend and the deputy commissioner someone he “worships.” Pascal’s questions were supposed to make us wonder if he was thinking about himself or trying to help Herrmann, which led to his decision.

When Pascal came in, he was clearly nothing like Boden, meaning quite the adjustment. But despite some tension with members of the firehouse (notable Miranda Rae Mayo‘s Kidd), he did seem to be settled by the end of the season, especially after everyone showed up for him, first after his wife’s death and at her funeral, then in the finale when he was accused of attempted murder.

“I think the key moment for Pascal was in Episode 16 and the funeral for his wife, for Monica, when they all showed up and he said, ‘Sorry, this funeral is family only,’ and Mouch said, ‘That’s why we’re here, chief,’” said Newman. “And to me, that felt like the moment that he understood he was part of this family, and he kind of took it in. He’s so hard to read sometimes, Pascal, but that was one moment where you saw it really get him in the heart and the gut. So I feel like from that moment moving forward, between that and between the deepening bond with Severide, 51 feels like his home.”

As for his future at 51, now that Herrmann’s not going for chief, “we’ll see him in Season 14, for sure,” was all Newman would say.

After all, there could be more shake-ups coming than just Daniel Kyri and Jake Lockett exiting as series regulars. The series has yet to write out their firefighters, Ritter and Carver, and a visit from an auditor not only offered a possibility for that but also for other changes going forward.

“There’s nobody safe in this shakeup,” Newman warned. “So next season is going to be about how the s**t really hits the fan once that mandate comes down and how things get shaken up and how our team can hold together as a family while all this craziness is happening around them.”

What are you hoping to see next season when it comes to Pascal? Let us know in the comments section below.

Chicago Fire, Season 14, Fall 2025, Wednesdays, 9/8c, NBC