Tonight on NBC Chicago Fire returns with an all-new Wednesday, October 1, 2025, season 14 episode 22 called, “Kicking Down Doors” and we have your Chicago Fire recap below.
In tonight’s Chicago Fire season 14 episode 1 as per the NBC synopsis, “A new face at Firehouse 51 causes tension, while rising chaos in the city brings new challenges to the team. Herrmann stalls on plans of relinquishing his office to Mouch.”
Tonight’s Chicago Fire season 14 episode 1 looks like it is going to be great and you won’t want to miss it. While you’re waiting for our recap, check out all our Chicago Fire recaps, news, spoilers & more, right here!
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Firefighter Stella Kidd lost the baby. She lost it early in the pregnancy. There were no complications and the doctor assured her that she could try again in a few months. The doctor couldn’t see how devastating this news was for Kidd. She was already onto her next patient while Kidd was left in shock. She even apologized to her husband because she thought she raised his hopes unnecessarily. She said she should have waited for a bit before saying anything to him and he shut that down. She has nothing to apologize for. He loves her. He was sad with her. It was important that he be by his wife’s side through every step of the way as they both grieve.
They hadn’t told anyone else their news. They let it remain their secret. They weren’t hiding it. It just wasn’t something they wanted to bring to work with them and Kidd had her hands full. She has a new guy on her team. His name is Sal Vasquez. He transferred over from Firehouse 20. He was cocky in the way that young guns always are. He was acting as her new driver. Carver left. Damon transferred out. Vasquez was in. Their first call happened literally within minutes of him putting down his bag.
His trial was a trial was one by fire. He came across a rolling car on fire and was forced to pull a hard U-turn just to catch up to it. It was a bumpy ride for everyone. Vasquez also didn’t wait for Kidd to issue any orders. He went off on his own and that’s not something you do as a firefighter. Much less at Firehouse 51. They stopped the car. The guy inside was arrested. It turned out he tried to rob someone at a gas station with a buddy and the victim doused them in gasoline from the pump. It was all quickly settled.
It was on the news later. Vasquez was lapping in the glory when Kidd pulled him aside. She wanted to forewarn him that she was going to debrief Chief Pascal. Kidd was going to tell Pascal that the kid broke command. Vasquez didn’t seem to care that she was going to tell their chief that. He remained cocky and gave a half-hearted apology in which he said it won’t happen again. Something about the encounter set off Kidd’s alarm bells. She later talked to Pascal. She asked to see the Vasquez’s file. She feared that the higher ups were hiding something about him.
Pascal told her she was blowing this out of proportion. Her own husband refused to give an opinion because he knew that his wife has been through a lot lately. Kidd got upset with him because she was a good lieutenant. She’s good with her gut feeling. She also didn’t want to be convinced differently. Pascal didn’t just dismiss her. He reminded her that she has a good track record with those acting half-cocked. She helps turn them around. It was her being pessimistic that made her believe that she couldn’t do the same with Vasquez.
Kidd later assigned him the worst stuff at the firehouse. She was looking to throw yard work at him as well when they got called out to a scene. Someone reported a fire. The firetrucks were sent there and they saw no fire. They did on the other hand found a guy from a gunshot wound. He called it in as a fire to get help. It seems to be a gang thing because the shooter stuck around. They were willing to kill everyone on scene just to kill the one guy he’s after. Vasquez spotted them first. He warned everyone. They were safe. Vasquez wasn’t so lucky.
Vasquez landed on his Halligan when he got down. He didn’t tell anyone. He hid his injury because he didn’t want to be put on leave. He was hiding that on top of quite a few things. Kidd commended him on being quick on his feet at the scene. He told her that he almost became a cop before he switched to being a firefighter. It left Kidd curious. She checked. He’s transferred from several firehouses very frequently. It was too frequently. Kidd told her husband about it and she said she was going to ask around about him.
Only the call had to wait because they had other concerns. The cops never showed up at the scene of the shooting. They were called about shots fired and it didn’t give the cops the push to show up? Violet became concerned after that scene. She checked with a friend at dispatch. It turns out a bunch of dispatchers were let go recently. They weren’t enough of them taking the calls and over forty-nine percent of calls were going unanswered. The police just didn’t have the manpower. Violet told Pascal. Pascal called the higher ups. They didn’t know about dispatcher shortage.
The new Mayor’s office was sitting on the report. Pascal kept calling around until he got the mayor’s chief of staff. She called him in for a meeting and she told him that her boss inherited this problem from the previous administrator. They were doing something about it, but Pascal wasn’t going to like it. They were going to be cuts. They were called brownouts. It was happening in every department. Some rigs were going to be trading off on who gets cut or not. This was going to happen at Firehouse 51.
She was right because Pascal wasn’t happy. Pascal broke the news after Herrmann finally did the right thing. He gave up the lieutenancy so that Mouch could be promoted. There was just one issue. He just didn’t give up the office. He planned on keep working and he wanted to hold onto the office until Mouch wore him down with guilt. They were now going to share the office. And Vasquez did tell someone about his injury. He told Novak because he couldn’t stitch his wound properly. She helped him get properly treated and it was their secret for now.
Kidd heard back from some others. Vasquez was a hothead. He doesn’t follow orders. 51 was his last shot or he’ll stop being a firefighter. So, Pascal told Kidd to make sure it works out because he has a lot riding on it.
And Kidd and Severide were later asked if they were willing to become foster parents to a teenager. Meanwhile Ritter flew to NYC because his possible boyfriend the cop got shot on duty and he wanted to be with him.
THE END
