What Rank Does Christopher Herrmann Have in Chicago Fire Season 13?
Christopher Herrmann is a mainstay of Chicago Fire. It’s hard to imagine the show without him, because the show has never been without him. He brings stability and courage to the job, and he serves drinks at Molly’s Pub afterward.
Herrmann, played by David Eigenberg, has provided that stability for decades. The character has been a part of Firehouse 51 longer than anyone else on the show, ever since Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) left. With that in mind, some fans may be curious about the character’s rank. Especially since it seems like he’ll be stepping into the role of chief at a hot minute.
Herrmann is a lieutenant. He was introduced as a senior firefighter in the Chicago Fire pilot, but he had his eyes set on furthering his career at that point. He tried and failed multiple times to reach the rank of lieutenant. He finally passed the exam in season 2 (after five tries).
Intentionally, Herrmann’s lieutenant status took a while to take effect. The character wasn’t fully recognized as a lieutenant until the season 7 episode “Thirty Percent Sleight of Hand.” Since his promotion didn’t happen until Lieutenant George Didrikson (Torrey Hanson) retired, we can confirm that Chief Boden was simply waiting for a 51 spot to open up.
Herrmann has remained loyal ever since. The next step up is captain, which is something David Eigenberg noted in a recent TV Insider interview. While he’d like to see Boden hand over the captaincy to Herrmann, he admitted that it wouldn’t make sense.
“The character can’t move to captain unless we’re deep into the wrong things on TV,” he noted. “He has to become a captain, and then you have to go through the whole process. I think the character is transferable.” It’s a valid point, and a reminder that Chicago Fire has done a great job of adhering to real-life firefighting practices.
Hopefully Herrmann will move up in his career in season 13.
