“I’m not Chief Boden,” Firehouse 51’s new boss, Dom Pascal, said in the Season 13 premiere. “I’m not trying to be.”
The Chicago Fire Season 13 premiere brought the heat as Dermot Mulroney’s Dom Pascal joined the ranks of Firehouse 51 as the squad’s new Battalion Chief.
Pascal had some large shoes to fill following the departure of 51’s longtime chief, Wallace Boden (Eammon Walker). But he was quick to tell the firefighters he planned on running 51 his way.
“Good morning, 51,” Pascal announced as the first responders gathered in the briefing room in Season 13, Episode 1. “As you probably already know, I’m Battalion Chief Dom Pascal. Twenty-seven years on the job. Some things I want to get out of the way up front: I have the utmost respect for Deputy Commissioner Wallace Boden, and it’s truly an honor to be here, at his former seat. But I’m not Chief Boden. I’m not trying to be. I have my own leadership style. I do things my own way, so you should all expect there’ll be some changes at Firehouse 51.”
Before Pascal could detail those changes, 51 got a call about a fire, pausing his speech. “Let’s hit it, team,” Pascal told them as they jumped into action. Breaking into the Firehouse 51 family is never a simple task, and Pascal had his work cut out for him.
Here’s what happened in the premiere:
Firehouse 51 is nervous about the changes Chief Pascal brings
“‘There will be changes.’ Sounds kind of like a threat,” Mouch (Christian Stolte) reflected on the way to the scene of the fire at a smoke shop. Pascal’s debut in the briefing room rubbed several 51 members the wrong way, especially Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), who viewed Boden as a father figure and didn’t appreciate Pascal’s abrasive introduction.
The group’s complaints were silenced after witnessing Pascal’s firefighting finesse at the smoke shop. While butane tanks exploded and projectiles flew toward the team, Pascal didn’t bat an eye as he instantly swept into action. Ditching the protective shield in favor of giving it to another firefighter, Pascal confidently delivered directives to his officers before running into the center of the chaos to help assist civilians.
“I think he’s missing the fear gene,” paramedic Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) exclaimed as she watched Pascal ignore the explosives while helping more people.
Back at the station, Pascal continued to roll out some of the changes he wanted to see at 51. While asking the team to put away their phones during meals was mildly annoying, Stella felt particularly threatened after Pascal told her, Chris Herrmann (David Eigenberg), and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) that he wanted debriefing meetings with the lieutenants after major calls.
“Pascal is pulling some serious alpha moves,” Stella complained to Severide before he pulled her into his office.
“You’re not helping yourself by challenging him at the jump,” Severide told her, successfully tempering her annoyance. Stella agreed to be more open-minded, but Pascal’s presence at 51 troubled her.
