The Season 14 premiere of Chicago Fire welcomed Firehouse 51 newcomer Sal Vasquez (Brandon Larracuente), and while everyone at the station was eager to meet the new guy, Vasquez arrived under a cloud of mystery.

Fire‘s Season 14 premiere (“Kicking Down Doors”) kicked off with a meeting between several Chicagoan higher-ups, as a police chief and

 

 

CFD chief debated over Vasquez. The CFD chief explained that it went against CFD protocol to keep the notorious Vasquez in duty, while the police chief reminded him it was “a favor.” The CFD Chief ultimately decided it was best to keep “department channels open,” agreeing to send Vasquez to Firehouse 51. At that, 51’s Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) raised an eyebrow.

 

 

 

With that, Vasquez officially became a member of Firehouse 51, but joining that tight-knit family would be easier said than done. Read what we learned so far about Vasquez, below:

Pascal greeted Vasquez at the station, adding that he’d heard a lot about him. Vasquez seemed a tad nervous about that as Pascal gave him the tour of Firehouse 51. Soon, Vasquez met his commanding officer, Lt. Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), who told him he was replacing “a hell of a good driver.”

 

 

 

“Not as good as me,” Vasquez smirked, rubbing Stella the wrong way. But before she could respond, the 51 bell rang, mobilizing the squads.

Vasquez made an incredibly bumpy debut as the squad’s new driver, zooming through the streets like a madman. Stella and the firefighters were utterly speechless after Vasquez pulled a hard U-turn before she gave the order. The combination of not waiting for an order and reckless driving had Stella feeling mighty nervous about her new firefighter, so she confronted Vasquez about the call later on.

 

 

 

“I knew we had to go after it,” Vasquez explained. “We’re not gonna we’re not gonna let a fireball just roll down the Western Ave., right?”

“I think what you mean to say is you are sorry and that will never happen again,” Stella said coolly.

“OK, yeah, sure,” Vasquez nodded. “Won’t happen again.”

Stella brought up Vasquez’s cockiness and negligence with Pascal, but he seemed distinctly disinterested in entertaining the complaint. Pascal encouraged Stella to take a beat, but all she could see were red flags.

Sal Vasquez (Brandon Larracuente) appears on Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 1 “Kicking Down Doors”.

Photo: Peter Gordon/NBC

Later, after a call went south due to a shooter on the loose, Vasquez reacted with expert precision, warning the firefighters about the stray bullets. Despite Vasquez’s heroism, Stella remained dubious.

“You seemed to know the bullets were coming,” Stella asked Vasquez later at the station.

“Yeah, I did some time at the police academy, you know?” Vasquez explained. “Before I got into the firefighting track. I guess I honed some instincts.”

Upon learning that Vasquez was in the police academy before switching between a bunch of different firehouses, Stella struggled even more to ignore her suspicions. She decided to do some more research into Vasquez’s history.

During the shooting call, Vasquez dropped to the ground to protect a firefighter, falling on his halligan and receiving a nasty gash in his torso in the process. But instead of reporting the injury, Vasquez hid his pain, attempting to stitch himself up in secret.

Sal Vasquez has made a friend in Firehouse 51 paramedic Lizzie Novak

Sal Vasquez (Brandon Larracuente) appears on Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 1 “Kicking Down Doors”.

Photo: Peter Gordon/NBC

Shortly after landing on Stella’s watch list, Vasquez soon found a friend in 51 paramedic Lizzie Novak (Jocelyn Hudon), who took note of the charming new firefighter on his first day. After Vasquez was ordered to clean bathrooms, Lizzie visited him to share some kind words.

“For what it’s worth, I was the new guy last year, and I know it has its challenges,” Lizzie said. “So if you ever wanna talk.”

“I appreciate that, but I don’t worry too much about Firehouse dynamics,” Vasquez shrugged. “It is what it is.”

Lizzie smirked, warning Vasquez that he wouldn’t find a better Lieutenant and shouldn’t underestimate Stella.

Later, after Vasquez’s plan to address his wound failed, he nervously visited Lizzie for help. Vasquez admitted that he tried stitching himself up because he knew Stella was upset with him and didn’t want to pester her with the issue.

“Turns out sewing’s harder than I thought,” Vasquez winced, showing Lizzie the gash.

“You’re a lunatic,” Lizzie said.

“Not the first time I’ve heard that,” Vasquez quipped as Lizzie got to work.