Chicago Fire May Have Just Lost A Firefighter, And More Cast Departures Are On The Way

Spoilers ahead for Episode 18 of Chicago Fire Season 13, called "Post-Mortem" and available streaming next day with a Peacock subscription.

The April 16 episode of Chicago Fire was hyped ahead of time for bringing back none other than Eamonn Walker as Deputy Commissioner Boden, and rightfully so. He even teased to CinemaBlend that fans might lose one of their favorites at this point in the 2025 TV schedule, and that could still be true despite nobody being killed off in "Post-Mortem." Plus, news broke during the episode that two stars are definitively leaving One Chicago at the end of Season 13, so the Firehouse 51 family is going to look different next fall.

Jack Damon Might Be Medically Unfit

Chicago Fire switched up its usual format in "Post-Mortem," with the officers of Firehouse 51 – including Chief Pascal – reporting to Boden about a fire that went horribly wrong. One firefighter had been left behind when the burning house was evacuated, with his life in very real jeopardy. The show managed to build the tension by not revealing for a chunk of the episode who was in surgery, with candidates including Cruz and Carver. Instead, Damon was the one who was left behind due to a number of factors going wrong at the same time.

Fortunately, Damon survived and didn't even look too badly injured, but his biggest issue isn't visible. He told Severide that "There was evidence of lung breakdown in my X-ray," and the doctors "won't know how extensive until I get a CT." The credits rolled on the episode before revealing the results of the CT. Severide tried to reassure his half brother that there are treatments even if the prognosis is bad, but Damon knows guys who "never came back from this."

Severide promised that he'd be there for Damon no matter what happens, but it certainly appears that the firefighter might be medically disqualified from going back to work on Engine. Just when things seemed to be going well for the brothers after their issues back in the fall! So, we might be losing Michael Bradway as Damon and will have to wait for confirmation. What we don't have to wait on is the identity of two firefighters who are running out of episodes.

Two Firefighters Are Leaving

In some unfortunate timing for any Chicago Fire fans who were checking TV news during commercial breaks on April 16, Deadline reported mid-episode that Daniel Kyrie and Jake Lockett would be exiting Fire at the end of Season 13. While the show hasn't officially been renewed for Season 14 at the time of writing, it will return without Ritter and Gallo if it does receive that expected renewal.

This seemingly isn't a case of the actors deciding to move on. The outlet reported that Kyri and Lockett's exits are part of a push to cut the budget for Chicago Fire, citing sources that state that many of the longtime stars' contracts will be up at the end of Season 13 and require negotiation. More exits within One Chicago as well as the two Law & Order shows on NBC are also possible as part of renewal talks.

These departure reports come almost exactly two years to the date from the news that series regulars across NBC's installments in the nine-show Wolf Entertainment world would appear in fewer episodes in a cost-saving measure. In fact, both Hanako Greensmith and Jocelyn Hudon missed the "Post-Mortem" episode that brought Eamonn Walker back.

While this is certainly sad news for the state of Chicago Fire's current ensemble, the shocking cancellations of FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International elsewhere in the Dick Wolf TV universe just have me hoping for renewals across the board for the NBC installments. Hopefully any other cuts will be limited, but only time will tell.

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For now, keep tuning in to NBC on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of Chicago Fire Season 13, between Chicago Med Season 10 at 8 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. Season 12 at 10 p.m. ET. Cast changes are evidently coming to at least the most senior one of the three shows, and my fingers are crossed that any exits aren't totally permanent. You can also revisit earlier episodes streaming on Peacock.