Chicago Fire (2012–…): Season 8, Episode 5 - Buckle Up - full transcript

Kidd must prove herself at the National Firefighter Leadership Conference, while the rest of Firehouse 51 is called to two eerily similar car wrecks. Mouch tries to keep the firehouse ...

What's up with him?

He's been like this for a week.

I'm going to ask Chloe
to marry me.

Congratulations.

I'm having second thoughts
about us.

This makes no sense.

I'm really sorry, Joe.

Chloe.

Next week,
future fire service leaders

are hosting an event,
and I would be very grateful

if you represented our district.



I don't have any leadership
experiences to share.

You know who I've
never doubted, not once?

You.

You got everything
you need for the trip?

I got every Flamin' Hot snack
they had at the grocery store

plus a gallon of milk.

Good thinking.

I'm surprised how
not nervous I am, you know?

I'm feeling very chill.

- That's great.
- Yeah.

Figure these leadership
conferences happen every year,

and you know,
plenty of firefighters

survive them, so...

Wait!



I forgot to pack
a phone charger.

If you want me...
I can run back up.

Aspirin.
God, what's wrong with me?

- I'm... I'm sure they have...
- And earplugs.

I can't sleep in bunks
without earplugs.

- Stella.
- I-!

Hey, my charger's right here.

And I did pack earplugs.

I knew it. Okay.

And you know what?

They probably have aspirin
at the conference.

So don't worry about that.

Okay. I won't.

Yeah.

Okay.

All right,
I'll call you tonight.

You got this, Stella Kidd.

So did Cruz pop the question?

He hasn't said anything
to me yet,

but I'm not just gonna
outright ask him because...

Cruz, did you propose to Chloe?

Nah. Haven't had the chance yet.

Mouch!

Engagements and proposals,

they're complicated
and personal.

Not this one.

I mean, Chloe's head over heels.

You've seen the way
she looks at him.

Mouch.

While Kidd's out,
I want you driving Truck.

You got it, Captain.

That's awesome, man. Congrats.

Yeah, I've done it once
or twice.

Yeah?

Well, the routes
have changed some

since the horse and buggy days.

Says the guy they used
to call Curby

for taking corners too short.

Hey, it was
an unearned nickname.

We believe you, Curby.

Hey everyone,
before we get started,

I think all of us here at 51

could stand
to be better informed

about things happening
in and around the station.

So I took it upon myself
to create a newsletter

to keep everyone in the know.

- "The Burn Notice"?
- Yeah.

Yeah, I thought...

I think I know
what's going on here.

Wasn't it your birthday
last shift?

Mouch, did we all forget?

No, no. That's not why...

Then why does it say Mouch's
belated birthday celebration

on the daily events?

- I did this for team unity.
- And cake.

Well, who doesn't love cake?

That's what unity is.

Okay, listen up.

Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61,

car accident.

Hey, my girlfriend,
she needs help.

She had her feet on the dash.

It looks like the airbag
sent her knees into her face.

Broken nose, blunt
force trauma to both eyes,

open compound fracture
to the femur.

Could be a bilateral break.

Could also have a cervical
or hip fracture.

Forget the traction splint.

I'll get the K.E.D.
from the rig.

If she's bleeding internally,

we've got five minutes
until she crashes.

Just be careful here.
The car is shifting.

Cruz, Tony, get some cribbing.

Keep it stable.
I'll grab the Jaws.

- Is she gonna be okay?
- Just step back.

Just hold on. We'll get you out.

We need to get these cars apart.

I can throw a chain
on the truck.

We need to anchor
the other car somehow.

How about him?

- That could work.
- Hey, you!

We need your help!

Back your tow truck up
to the convertible here,

hitch it, and hold steady
while I pull 'em apart.

- Hey man, I'm just...
- Now, man!

Good.

Hey, miss, you okay?

I just got my license.
My mom's gonna murder me.

Gallo.

Yeah.

Walk her over to the paramedic.

Yeah, yeah.

Hey, how are you feeling...
Nicole.

Nicole.
How are you feeling, Nicole?

It wasn't my fault, I swear.

The guy in front of me,

he slammed on the brakes
for no reason,

so I stepped on mine and wham.

- Okay, where's the guy?
- Took off.

I'm not making this up.
No, I know you're not.

All right, so, let's let
these guys check you out

and make sure
you're all right, okay?

- Yeah, okay.
- Thanks, man.

Keep coming, little more.

Good.

That's good.

Here we go!

Okay, that's good.

Get me out of here.

Hang on, we're almost there.

Right behind you.

- All right, easy.
- I got her.

Nice and easy.

Calm down. We got you.

One, two, three.

- We got you.
- She's good.

Nice work, Mouch.

I get some sort of bonus
or something, man?

What?

Forget it.

You people want free work,
free work.

Okay. All right, thank you.

Hi, Stella Kidd.
Firehouse 51, Chicago.

Justina Ortiz.
House 83, Pittsburgh.

It looks like
they're doing a killer job

closing the gender gap?

What?

We're the only two women here.

Right.

I actually didn't know
another female officer

would be attending.

I'm not an officer, actually.

Well, not yet but...

I thought this
was officers only.

Donahue, congrats!

I heard you finally
made lieutenant.

Hey, you guys.

Luke, you're like a foot taller

than the last time I saw you.

What are you guys feeding him?

I keep telling Cindy
to put a book on his head,

but he keeps growing.

- I like your shirt.
- Thanks.

He wants to be a firefighter,
just like his papa.

Yeah, I tried talking him
out of it,

but he's stubborn like me.

Well, that logo
looks really good on you.

Um, have you seen Mouch?

In his spot, I assume.

Okay, well,
it's good to see you guys.

And then Mouch ran over
and was like,

"We're commandeering
your tow truck!"

I never used the word
commandeering.

Either way,
it was pretty badass.

Everyone tells you
to watch the officers at 51,

but I've learned the most
from watching this guy.

Mouch, I've been thinking
about your newsletter.

Yeah?

It's a great idea,
don't get me wrong,

but the execution.

I just... I just feel like it's
a little lacking, no offense.

Offense taken.

There's just so much more
we could do with it.

- We?
- Yeah.

Just like we did with
"Sheets on Fire."

What's "Sheets on Fire"?

Yeah, what's "Sheets on Fire"?

It doesn't have to be fancy.

Just five or six pages
of quality content.

Horoscopes, recipes, photos
from department events.

Everyone can get involved.
A morale builder.

Can I do a story on
firefighter bars?

Yes! See? Great idea.

Can I get the per diem
for research?

Well, I'm down to help.

Yeah, I was actually on
the staff at my school paper.

Yes!
This is gonna be so next level.

I... I...

Looking for someone?

Captain Casey.

Rick Ferguson, with
the city safety committee.

Yeah.

I understand your crew responded

to a multiple vehicle
collision this morning.

That's right.

Eyewitnesses said that you
had to do a little improvising,

used your truck to get one car
off of another?

Yeah, it was,
a real time-sensitive save.

Who was driving the rig?

That'd be Randall McHolland.

That was no big deal.

I just happened to be
on driving duty today.

Kind of a fluke, actually.

- Mr. McHolland?
- Yup.

Did you enlist a civilian
tow truck operator

to move those cars today?

Well, yes.

See we... we needed a way
to stabilize the car

on the bottom
while I pulled the...

These private tow companies

are not indemnified by the city.

Do you not understand
the liability issues

that you've created?

If one thing had gone wrong,

if that tow truck
had been damaged,

or God forbid,
that operator had been injured,

you would've exposed the city
to a major lawsuit.

It all worked out.
We made the save.

It all worked out today.

Let's make sure
there's not a next time.

And you really ought
to think about putting

somebody else behind the wheel
of your truck, Captain.

Because ultimately, you are
responsible for his actions.

It was absolutely necessary
to move the car, Chief.

The girl's life depended on it.

It was the right call to make.

File your reports.
I'll talk to Chief Walker.

Hey Chief, um, so Brett
assigned me

to write a profile on someone,

and I was thinking,
you know, maybe you...

- Out.
- Right, yeah.

Door opened or closed?

I look around, and I don't
see the leaders of tomorrow.

I see the leaders of today.

Most of you already have
degrees in fire science,

fire service management,
and hazardous materials,

but you never stop learning.

So we're gonna kick things off
today with a pop quiz.

You were told to gear up.

Where are your gloves?

Right here, Chief.

Well, why aren't
they on your hands?

Shoulder that hose pack up
the stairs and back!

- Yup.
- Go, go, go, go!

All right, first question,

evidence is collected during
what phase of the fire?

Okay, that covers columns
for department wide news,

weather reports,
and fall fashion.

Fall what?

Not everything is for you,
Hermann.

This is supposed to be
a newsletter.

Did you even ask...

Okay, how about
these blind items?

Two second shifters recently
took a shower together,

and not to save water.

All: Severide and Kidd.

Fine, how about this one?

Late one night
in the laundry room...

All: Severide and Kidd.

Wait, wait.
I wanna hear the rest.

Well, those two have
the only gossip right now.

Hey, Joe, um, I don't wanna
bug you about this, but...

Okay, okay.

I didn't propose because
Chloe broke up with me.

- Wait, what?
- She dumped me.

Wait, is that not
what you were gonna ask?

I... I was just gonna see

if you would maybe do
a section on the Slamigan

in the "Burn Notice."

Yeah, yeah, sure.

Well, hey. Wait.

I didn't want to make
a big thing of it.

You know,
breakups happen, right?

No!

I mean, yes, they happen,
but this is...

I mean, you have every right
to make a big thing of this.

I'm so sorry.

Yeah, me too.

Honestly,
this doesn't make sense.

The way you two are
with each other.

I thought so too.

Did she give you a reason?

No, not really,

but it's like she knew
I was gonna propose.

And I... maybe that's
what made her realize

that I'm not the one.

Yeah, I'm...

it's for the best, right?

At least I saved myself
the embarrassment of her

saying no or breaking up
the engagement.

I'm so sorry.
I just... I meant... I...

No, you're... you're right.

It was awful.

Joe.

Hey, you hitting the showers?

What? No.

I'm just thinking.

You know?

Forget about what that guy said.

You called an audible,
and the result was six points.

It was cool to watch.

I appreciate what you're saying,

but maybe don't follow
my example.

I mean, you,
aim higher up the ladder.

Severide, Casey, Herrmann.

They know what they're doing.

You know...

It sounds like you had
a busy first day.

I haven't run that many
stairs since the academy,

but it's all good,
and somehow making me a leader?

So they say.

Yeah, not to brag or anything,

but I'm pretty sure
I had the fastest time.

So it's going well then.

Yeah. Totally.

The thing is there's this guy
here from Colorado.

He's a wildland expert.
He just won a Medal of Valor.

And I was excited about
this scuba class tomorrow

because, you know,
you got me ready for it.

But guess what?

Some other guy here's
a legit former Navy Seal.

So what?

I...

I'm just not sure that I fit in
with this crowd, that's all.

And what's worse is
that I just...

I feel like
I'm letting Boden down

because he picked me for this,
and I have no idea why.

I...

Hello?

Yeah, I'm... I'm still here.

I just don't know if you want
advice or to vent.

That's sweet.

After I snapped at you.

I learned my lesson.

Truck 81, Squad 3,
Ambulance 61...

- That's me.
- Go get 'em.

- Car accident, 1753 Apollo...
- Hey Kelly, real quick.

Can you just tell me
that I got this one more time?

You got this, Stella Kidd.

Thank you.

Hey!

The hell are you doing?

We haven't released the scene!

Hey! Hey!

Stop the truck!

Mouch, Gallo,
grab the extinguishers.

This one could flash on us.
Copy that, Captain.

You okay in there?

- It's my arm.
- Okay, try not to move.

Help is on the way.

Hey, back up!

Can I get some cribbing
and struts

to stabilize this thing?

Don't let it tip over.
Copy that!

Hey, don't move.
We're gonna get you out.

All right.

That SUV did a number on you.

The car in front of me
hit his brakes out of nowhere

and then took off.

What do we got?

Broken arm, possible concussion.

Okay, what's your name?

- Russell.
- You're doing good.

I'm gonna give you some
morphine for the pain,

and then we're gonna get you
to the hospital, okay?

This is gonna protect your face.

Good?

Cutting!

Good.

Watch the edges.

Hey Foster, C-collar!

- Here you go.
- Thanks.

Three.

Thanks.

All right,
he's all yours, Foster.

All right,
let's get him out of here.

Clear.

Did you see
that tow truck driver?

Same guy from this morning.

The one who helped us out?

Reluctantly.

Must be a wreck chaser.

As soon as we're back,
I'm reporting his ass.

The driver up front said
a car brake checked him

and then took off,
caused a chain reaction crash.

Same thing as this morning.

So same kind of wreck,
some tow truck at both.

Be warned!

The fire is real with
real consequences.

So gear up or go home.

What are the qualities
of a good leader?

Well, to name one,
a good leader's decisive.

This doesn't necessarily mean

you have to arrive
at a quick decision

if you're the manager
of a Starbucks.

But as incident commander
on the scene

of a fully involved fire
in an occupied structure?

Time is a luxury you don't have.

Flames are rolling through
both windows at sill level.

A panicked mother
runs up to tell you

that her baby's
in the back room in a crib,

and her elderly mother's
somewhere still in the house.

What do you do?

- Um...
- Next!

I would attack with an inch
and three quarters, sir.

Send a team to vent
and start a primary search...

Next!

If smoke is blowing up,
then I would...

Next!

I wouldn't send anyone in,
Chief.

Are you telling me
you'd let those people die?

If flames are rolling out
at sill level, like you said,

that means the temperature
at the floor is 1,000 degrees.

Unprotected civilians
can only survive

300 degrees for a minute.

So at that point,
it's a recovery.

It's not a rescue, Chief.

Finally, the correct answer.

Can I help you, sir?

Yeah, I was a firefighter
on a call yesterday

where a girl had her legs
bent up backwards.

I just wanted to check on her.

Hey, never mind.
I see her friend.

Excuse me.

You were in that pile up
on Lincoln?

- You're the firefighter.
- Yeah, one of them.

How is your friend doing?

Much better.
They're about to release her.

That's great.

Yeah, she was lucky.

They said if she had come in
even one minute later,

she might've lost her legs.

No kidding.

Thanks, man, for what you do.

I'm just happy it worked out.

I'm assuming
you didn't ask me here

to talk about spin class.

No, but since you brought it up,

I haven't seen you in a week.

Yeah, I thought it might
be weird between us,

which I hate.

Joe told you, right?

I'm so sorry to hear that.

I... it's... it's none
of my business,

and I don't wanna pry, but...

what happened?

You know that Snapchat filter
with all the floating hearts?

Yeah.

Well, that's what I saw
when I first met Joe.

That smile.

He was my hero,
literally the man of my dreams.

But the thing is,
I can't be with a firefighter.

I can't handle wondering
every day

if I am gonna see him
at home or at the hospital.

But he's been a firefighter

the whole time
you've been together.

What changed?

The last couple months,

I've been spending
a lot of time with Lily.

I helped her plan the wake
with Otis's family,

and put together
a memory book for them.

I see.

What she's been through?

I'm not strong enough.

Joe's job is risky, there's
no getting around that.

Accidents are gonna happen.

But...

what doesn't happen
to everyone is finding a guy

who makes you see
floating hearts.

Joe is one in a billion.

Crazy would be letting him go.

Hey!

You taking pictures
of my property?

Yeah.

You're that firefighter.

You almost ran me over,
tearing out of there.

Might want to be
a little more careful.

What the hell
are you up to, man?

Question is what the hell
are you up to?

You better watch yourself.

How about this for one?

"Brace yourself,
these two heartbroken,"

hopeless romantics
had sparks flying,

"but never ignited a flame."

I don't get it.

Yeah, are blind items
supposed to be this blind?

Yeah, it's like a riddle.

I hate riddles.
There's no point to them.

You know what you wanna say,

so just say it already,
all right?

Stop dicking around.

Where's the fun in that?

Hey, Luke.

Hey, buddy.

Okay, listen. Hang on.

Slow down. Who is not breathing?

Hang up the phone and dial 911.

I am on my way. All right.

Luke's at a pool party,
and something went wrong.

They dialed 911, but the
party's only a block from here.

I'm coming with you.

What happened?

He was jumping off
the roof into the pool,

and he missed.

Okay.

Get over here.

Give him two rescue breaths.
All right.

- Got a carotid pulse.
- All right.

Hey, hand me that noodle.

Okay. Thanks, buddy.

Okay, Hermann, grab these.
Got it.

Okay, now I need you to give
him a rescue breath.

Hand me a towel, Luke?

All right, he's conscious again.

Easy. What's your name?

Jason.

Hey, over here.

He fell from the roof.
Maybe ten feet?

We performed CPR
and spinal immobilized him,

and he's got a fractured ankle,

but he should be good
for transport.

I got it.

One, two, three.

You're in good hands, buddy.
Okay?

- Okay.
- All right, good job.

Thanks.

Hey, that was a great job
at CPR, Luke.

You kept him alive.

Go home.

What the hell were you thinking?

Jumping off a roof into a pool?

- I wasn't doing it.
- But that is not enough.

You are the son
of a firefighter.

You just don't stand aside and
let your friend do something

that you know is wrong.

You tell them to stop
and you don't let them do it.

- Dad...
- No, no, no.

No buts.

You disappoint me, son.

Now go get your bag
and meet me in the van.

Go.

You look happier.

- I got a reminder.
- About what?

How much good
we get to do on this job.

Hot off the press.

Extra, extra. Read all about it.

51's new and improved
"Burn Notice."

It's "The Burn Notice."

Wow. This looks amazing.

I will admit, it's improved.

I pulled an all-nighter,

but I downloaded "The Post"
and "All The President's Men,"

and I was like, "Sylvie,
you can hit this deadline."

Wait, wait, wait.

Where is the profile
that I wrote on Tony?

I felt like it
was missing something.

Like we didn't really get
to see inside his head.

Well, he's a man of few words.

We can try in the next issue.
Dig a little deeper.

But this isn't the blind item
that I wrote.

I'm just trying
to set a standard here.

Okay.

I see. Standards.

Okay, look,
it was 3:00 in the morning,

and I had to be
a tough editor here.

Let me guess.

You did not connect the dots
of Capp's puzzle.

No. Why?

Well...

You guys!

So I decided to poke my head
in that impound lot

where the tow truck
is registered,

and check this out.

There's a whole row of cars
with identical damage.

It's like they all rear-ended
other vehicles.

He's obviously running some
sort of crash-for-cash scam.

You talked to anyone at PD?

Not yet.

I'm waiting
for something concrete.

I was thinking I could stake
the place out after a shift,

see if I can catch him
in the act.

Maybe provoke
another confrontation.

Hey, hey, hey.

I do not need my lieutenant
getting himself shot.

Severide, listen to this.

The lead driver in that first
accident, the teenager.

The one I handed off to Gallo?

Right, she told Gallo that
the car in front of her

tapped the brakes then sped off.

Says the car was
a gray Chevy sedan.

Okay.

The lead car
of the second accident

was a gray Chevy sedan,
an Impala.

Driver was pretty banged up,

scruffy looking guy in his 30s.

He said that the car in front
of him hit the brakes.

Wouldn't you say the same
if you were a scam artist?

So he's working together
with the tow truck guy.

- Is he still laid up at Med?
- Probably.

Go. Take your radio.

All right.

Yeah.

I've been meaning to say.
That was a real ballsy move.

The way you stood your ground
at that no-win scenario.

Yeah?

Thanks.

Hope you all enjoyed
Chief Nevins' talk

on station management
this morning.

Now back to the fun stuff.

We'll be performing
a zero-visibility simulation

with blackout masks
and live fire.

You all have been grouped
together for days now.

I expect you've gotten
to know each other well.

So I'll let you choose
the Incident Leader

for the first run.

I nominate Stella Kidd.

I second that.

Third.

All right.

A good chief knows how
to handle an axe and lay hose,

but also commands the respect
of those under him or her.

As Incident Leader,

you'll be responsible
for getting your team

in and out safely,
and I will be keeping time.

Copy that, Chief.

All right, mask up!

Hey, Russell. How you feeling?

I know you?

Nah, but I know your work.

I couldn't figure out why
you'd want to get rear-ended,

put yourself in the hospital.

But then I was thinking
you didn't.

You tried to brake check
the car behind you

to cause an accident,
twice in one day.

But in the police report,
the guy in the SUV?

He was texting.
He didn't have time to react.

He ended up hitting you
at 50 miles an hour.

How much is that
towing company paying you

to cause these accidents?

I mean, hell,
it can't be worth all this.

Yeah, but I don't know what
you're talking about.

You lost or something?

- I... I didn't tell him...
- Shut the hell up.

This is Nicole Fuller.

She totaled her car
because of you.

She's lucky she didn't
walk away with a neck injury.

This is Jim Acoff.

He's got a concussion;
He's still in the hospital.

This is Sara Mitchell.

22-year-old girl came this close

to losing both of her legs.

I... I didn't... I didn't...

Russell,
let me tell you something.

You got burned, they don't care.

You got injured?
They put that on you.

The only reason they're here

is so that you don't talk
to the cops.

One way or another.

The good news is they're done.

'Cause I'm onto you
and I don't get nervous.

Severide.

Efficient.

Yeah, thanks for the tip.

These punks weren't content
gouging their customers;

They started
causing accidents too.

Nah, happy to help.

Yeah, the witness
you gave us down in Med?

He's cooperating.

Should put Mr. Goatee
and his pal away for a while.

What about this lot?

This is gonna be
shut down for good.

- Thanks for letting me know.
- Yeah, man, any time.

Chief Morgan,
I was just about to call you.

Well, I didn't want to leave
you hanging, Wallace.

After pushing through the only
non-officer of the bunch,

I figure you must have
big plans for Stella Kidd.

What do you think?

You were right.
She's got real potential.

And that is high praise
indeed coming from you.

I've seen men crumble
under your gaze.

Well, maybe I'm losing my touch.

Somehow I doubt it.

Thanks for the call.

You know, Ritter,

I owe you an apology
for my behavior the other day.

Chief?

You know, when you came
to interview me for,

well, whatever it was.

For the newsletter.

I should never
have been short with you.

I am happy to sit down and
answer any of your questions

about the job
or my past experience.

I want everybody here
to succeed,

go on to great things.

Wow. Yes, thank you.

I would love that.

Wait a minute. What newsletter?

Well...

You straight up stole my idea
for the firefighter bar story?

I made a list to fill the space.

We can do your story next issue.

Listen, why is my Molly's ad
buried on page three?

Because I had
to move things around

after cutting
Capp's Filthy Corner!

That was art.
You're being judgmental.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.
What's this all about?

51's newsletter.

To help us stay informed.

It was Mouch's idea.

Okay.

Now, Chief, when I... listen.

What is it that you are
all arguing about?

So this girl thinks
she's Anna Wintour...

Enough!

Right.

No more newsletter.

I just wanted
some birthday cake.

- Welcome back.
- Hi.

I have so much to tell you.

Things got better?

Yeah. Crushed it.

Never had a doubt.

What?

You were right.

I should've stopped them.

I just stood around when
I should've stepped in.

And I'm sorry I let you down.

Where's your mom?

Inside.

Um, tell her to watch
Annabelle and Kenny.

Let's go run an errand.

What is it?

We're gonna go visit
your friend in the hospital.

Make sure he's feeling okay.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

Hey, how was shift?

I turned the truck keys
back over to Kidd.

You liked driving?

I didn't mind it.

What say you drive me to dinner?

I say buckle up.

Hi, Joe.

I... I tried calling you.

Yeah, I, um...

I decided I'd rather speak
in person.

Look, I don't know
what I did wrong.

I... I... but whatever...

You didn't do anything.

Actually, you did.

You saved me from
a... a burning building

and a car wreck.

So I panicked.

Because what if you got
into trouble

and I can't save you?

Chloe.

I'm never gonna completely
stop worrying about that,

just so you know.

Okay.

But it turns out...

baking really helps
calm me down.

What is this?

Open it.

Can... can you make out
the letters?

That one there, it's a "K,"

but my frosting pen
got jammed right when...

Chloe Allen...

Will you make me the happiest
and luckiest man on this earth,

- and be my bride...
- Yes.

- Yes?
- Yes.

- Yes?
- Yes.