‘Chicago Fire’: Firehouse 51 is Held Hostage

Photo Credit: Chicago Fire/NBC Image Acquired from NBC Media Village

The members of Firehouse 51 are held hostage when a few gang members make their way inside looking for a place to hide. Will everyone make it out alive on ‘Chicago Fire’?

We don’t really need another episode to show us how much the members of Firehouse 51 are a family – but Chicago Fire gets me every time it does. This time around, the crew seemed to be having a quiet day about to enjoy a hearty breakfast, which obviously means trouble is not far behind.

Gabby and Brett get called to a shooting while the rest of the crew stayed back.

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While Matt and Stella were in the truck bay, they heard gun shots ring out. They closed the firehouse doors, but not before a few gang members involved in the shooting made their way inside with one of their guys shot in the abdomen.

Firehouse 51 was held hostage by these guys as they said they intended to just lay low for a while. However, Severide managed to get to a radio and call for help.

Sometimes, though, Chicago Fire episodes are a bit deeper than fighting a fire, getting the bad guy or helping the injured. In this case, Firehouse 51 fought for the soul of one of the members of the group that barged into the firehouse.

A teen, J.B., held one of the guns, but he seemed unsure and shaky with it. J.B. was in over his head, and it was confirmed when his mother showed up to the scene. She tried to reach her son over a bullhorn telling him that this wasn’t who he is. She raised him to love. He’s a good person.

It became more heart-wrenching when she mentioned his sister Tiana dying. She couldn’t lose another child.

As she poured her heart out, it was a reminder that every day the young people of places like Chicago struggle.

While inside the firehouse, J.B. was torn as he listened to his mother. He had Chief Bowden on one side telling him to go to his mother. He had the head of the crew, who held a gun, telling him to follow him and ignore every one else. While it seemed like a typical devil one shoulder and angel on the other, these two sides showed J.B. what he could become. He still had choices.

As the head of the crew was determined to get out of the firehouse, even with a sizable police force outside of the firehouse, he grabbed Bowden and pulled him into one of the firetrucks with J.B. The plan was to use the truck as a ram to get through the police barricade.

As J.B. sat in the back, he had Bowden shared a knowing look. J.B. bounded forward, knocked the gun away from being pointed at Bowden. A bullet shot out, ricocheted off the truck and hit J.B. in the neck. The bullet didn’t penetrate deeply, but cut off circulation to his carotid artery. Gabby managed to pull it out and the insinuation was that it saved J.B.’s life.

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The firehouse is more than just the place where firefighters and EMT park for a few hours during the day. It’s part of the community. Leaders live in the house. Mentors. Caregivers. Lifesavers.

While it might have been a Chicago Fire episode to save on location shooting (everything happened in and around the firehouse, with a brief scene at Chicago Med), it did what it needed to show how places like Firehouse 51 are the heart of communities.

Watch Chicago Fire Tuesdays on NBC at 10/9c.