Chicago Fire‘s Firehouse 51 cannot have two chiefs, meaning if Herrmann passes his exam and Pascal stays, Herrmann must transfer to

another station. If Herrmann passes and Pascal leaves, Herrmann can finally take over as Firehouse 51’s chief. Or, there is a third option.

Herrmann (who, as Newman said, has felt enormous pressure to take all the steps to become a chief throughout season 13) might decide not to take the test.

Even though Herrmann becoming the chief would be an exciting development in his character arc, it would make sense for him to decide not to. That way, both Herrmann and Pascal could theoretically stay. The issue is that this would in turn affect Mouch’s future at Firehouse 51. Ultimately, only time will tell what will happen to Herrmann and Pascal in the season 13 finale. Given how Pascal’s Chicago Fire story is going, though, he might not want to stick around in Chicago for very long, opening the door for Herrmann to become the chief.

Herrmann has been around since the show’s beginning. So, it would make sense if most of the characters would want him to take over as Firehouse 51’s chief. But that doesn’t mean they don’t care about Pascal. Severide, Novak, and co. have grown to love Pascal and accept him as one of their own since his introduction during the season 13 premiere. Whatever choice is made, there is sure to be conflict, heartbreak, and consequences.

The Chicago Fire season 13 characters will face a familiar problem during the finale — who will be their chief going forward? Of course, they will also be dealing with other issues, like Pascal’s attempted murder charge and what Stella decides to do regarding Natalie’s complex living situation. However, Herrmann taking the chief’s exam will also loom large throughout the episode, as Newman teased.