My heart is going to be in my throat throughout Chicago Fire season 14, episode 4. It looks like we’ve got the storyline that showrunner Andrea Newman warned us about, and it really will be Herrmann’s most “challenging” crisis yet.
Cast your mind back to September 2025. Newman teased a few things to come for the firefighters at Firehouse 51, and there was a lot of focus on Herrmann and Mouch. We got the tease of the office drama, and then we got the comments about how Herrmann may have some regrets about opting for a demotion.
All of this has played out so far, but something else hasn’t. That is Herrmann’s most “challenging” crisis to date.
The promo for Chicago Fire season 14, episode 4 focuses on one call, as most of the promos do. This one is a big one, though, and I’m afraid it’s going to have drastic consequences for Firehouse 51 moving forward. In the promo, we find out that they’re rolling up to Herrmann’s house, and he says that Annabel, one of his daughters, stayed home that day.
By the time they get to the house, the fire is everywhere. They get in, and it’s hard to believe that they’re going to find Annabel alive. It’s a firefighter’s worst nightmare. They go into burning buildings all the time, but do they ever think that it’s going to be their own? That’s the nightmares they have, because they know that an emergency can happen at any moment.
One thing we do know is that Herrmann will need dragging out of that house if he can’t find Annabel. He isn’t going to leave just because the orders come through. No devoted parent would, firefighter or not.
Herrmann will always fear the worst
This is the most challenging crisis for Herrmann, whether Annabel is found dead or alive. There is so much to unpack with this storyline.
Let’s assume Annabel doesn’t make it. We then have a whole family grieving, and to be honest, I don’t think that is the way the series will go with this arc. It’s a possibility, though, and having Herrmann potentially blame himself for the fire happening or not being able to get there in time adds a layer to it.
Annabel is likely to survive. Either she found somewhere safe to get to, she got out of the house, or she wasn’t in the house at the time. It doesn’t matter which arc the Chicago Fire writers go with, there are ways to save Annabel. Then it comes down to Herrmann and his family losing their home. They will lose everything in this fire, and that’s going to lead to a “challenging” crisis.
Herrmann is already worried about money, so what will this do? Even with insurance, the time it takes to get that insurance through is going to cause financial difficulties, and then there’s a chance that insurance doesn’t even pay out. They’re always looking for a reason not to! With that, there’s the mental exhaustion on the family and the trauma for Annabel.
I didn’t expect Chicago Fire to go this direction, and now I’m terrified for what it means for Herrmann.
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.