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Brian Zvonecek was a firefighter with the Chicago Fire Department, he was the driver of Truck 81 and stationed at Firehouse 51 for most of his career. He was also one of the co-owners of Molly's. He was portrayed by Yuri Sardarov.

Zvonecek was killed in the line of duty after succumbing to his injuries that were sustained in a mattress factory fire.

Personal life[]

Brian was born in the United States from a Russian immigrant family. At the time of his death, he was dating Lily. His nickname "Otis" is because of his specialism in elevators and that is a common brand of elevator in the United States.

Career[]

Zvonecek allegedly lacked motivation according to his superiors. This may have been because he often felt under-appreciated by his fellow firefighters. He wanted to be the engineer of Truck 81 that prompted him to consider transferring to Truck 67 at Morningside but he decided to stay at Firehouse 51. Eventually, Joe Cruz transferred to Squad 3 and Brian was promoted as the engineer of Truck 81.

Biography[]

He had his own podcast about his unique firefighter wisdom and spoke about life at the firehouse.

Season 1[]

Season 2[]

During Season 2, Brian dates Katie Nolan (Kelly Severide's half-sister) until she leaves after her kidnapping.

On Joyriding, the day of the Union presidency vote, Mouch and his opponent Greg Sullivan have an all-important live debate on Otis' podcast. The debate is a disaster, with Mouch opting to keep his integrity and not use personal information on Sullivan that could ruin his campaign, thus losing the presidency.

At the end of Rhymes With Shout, Brian and Severide arrive home to an empty and looted apartment. Shay gave Devon a key and she stole all of their valuables, including Otis' collection piece (that later turns out to be a completely worthless fake). After this, Brian decides to leave the apartment and find his own space. Cruz comes up to him and suggests that, since they are both "roomateless", they should find a place together.

In You Will Hurt Him, the house finally gets to meet Severide's half-sister Katie Nolan when she brings them lunch. Brian shows interest, but Severide is very protective of his sister. They bond over a game of Catan and end up kissing. Brian then asks Severide for his blessing as he wants to take Katie on a date. After messing with him a little, he eventually says yes and the two begin dating until she is kidnapped. Brian feels guilty that he wasn't with her at the time it happened, but Severide calms him down and assures him it is not his fault. After she is found and taken to the hospital, Katie makes the decision to move to Colorado.

Season 3[]

On Just Drive the Truck, Cruz is suspended from driving for three months, pending the investigation following the collision between Truck 81 and Truck 66 from Welch's antagonistic Firehouse 105. Casey assigns Brian as driver in the interim.

Dawson begins as a candidate and Brian tries to prank her the same way the guys did to him when he first started, but since she was already at the house she is aware of the pranks and manages to steer clear of them.

On The Nuclear Option, Brian's nephews come to visit the Firehouse and he is excited to take them on a ride while driving the Truck. Cruz's suspension is lifted and he is now back in the driver's seat. However, Scott Rice is kicked out of Squad 3 and it's revealed that Cruz passed his squad certification and is now on Squad, meaning that Brian is now the permanent driver of Truck 81.

After Cruz's secret as a dance instructor known to everyone in the house, Otis and the others laugh at his obliviousness. Otis and the others sign up for Cruz's class to see it for themselves and are amused to see Cruz surprised at seeing them. When Cruz nearly cancels, he and Casey encourage him before the class starts and the squad enjoy themselves. (Chopper)

Ever since Cruz broke up with Sylvie, Brian has shown interest in her. After the break-up, Sylvie comes up to him to return a book and Brian goes to Casey and says he might be in love with her. Casey tells him that it is crazy to even look at his best friend's ex the day after they broke up.

Season 4[]

On I Will Be Walking, while changing in the locker room, Cruz asks him what happened to his back as he has a somewhat large bruise. Brian gets suspicious about other bruises on his back and hip and asks Sylvie's opinion, who tells him to get it checked out by a doctor. He is reluctant to do so, fearing it might be something serious. Brian also asks Sylvie to keep it a secret from the rest of the house. He eventually decides to get it checked out by Dr. Halstead from Chicago Med. However, he still doesn't want to know the diagnosis and lies to Sylvie about having his blood results back and the results being all fine. Sylvie later finds out the truth and asks Cruz for help. Cruz enlists the help of Brian's grandmother, who after a visit to the Firehouse, convinces him to get the tests done. He ultimately gets the news that he suffers from ITP (Immune thrombocytopenic purpura), which could cause his to brain bleed if not treated. He starts the treatment process, but is forced to take medical leave. Another firefighter, Malcolm Ferguson, substitutes him on Truck.

In Kind of a Crazy Idea, he talks to Boden about his health problem and shares a personal story. His father died of leukemia, which he says was a scary, slow and painful death, thus his reluctance at finding out his diagnosis.

Brian makes advances on Sylvie for the duration of the season, trying to go on a date with her. In On the Warpath, he asks Sylvie if she has plans for the following night as Phantasm is showing at the Music Box. She has no idea what Phantasm is and the two are interrupted by Jimmy bringing Sylvie coffee. Brett gets herself into trouble, so Jimmy gives her a ride home. As they are both leaving, Brian tells Cruz that Phantasm was never going to happen. He stated his intentions and even changed his looks, but he finally realizes nothing would ever happen between him and Sylvie.

Season 5[]

Brian, along with the other members of Truck 81, are concerned about Borelli's behavior following his brother's death. Other storylines include him still working at Molly's and still working as a member on Truck.

Season 6[]

In The Chance to Forgive, he is shot in the neck by a stray bullet during a fire at a house that contains loaded weapons and boxes of ammunition. He was in critical condition and he no longer has feeling in his toes, meaning he may not walk again.

After many hours of intensive physiotherapy, he can walk with the help of a cane. To keep him motivated and focused on recovery, Chief Boden asks him to do some desk work at the firehouse bullpen. During his time in the bullpen, he foils a plot by a couple to scam the CFD after a mother falsely accuses the firehouse of giving her young son to her "mentally unwell" ex-husband.

He eventually gets a full recovery and is medically approved to get back to work.

The competitive relationship he has with Stella is at focus again when she expresses her interest in continuing to drive Truck 81, so Casey allows them to compete for the driver's spot. Brian fails when he forgets to activate the lights and siren upon leaving the firehouse during a practice run, almost causing a car crash. Stella, knowing she has the advantage, tells Brian that she will back down from the competition if he agrees to her terms.

He agrees and is back in the driving seat in the episode Where I Want To Be.

Season 7[]

Season 8[]

In the Season 8 premiere, Brian dies of an explosion at the Arnow Mattress Fire. After a boiler exploded, he was hit with an infernal backdraft as he slammed shut a steel door, saving the rest of his crew and the factory workers in the process, but at the cost of his life. He was rushed to Lakeshore Memorial, where his last words to Cruz in Russian, which Boden looked up and found meant, "Brother, I will be with you always."

Memorable Quotes[]

  • (Otis to Mills about the firefans): “The chicks who follow firemen like flies to honey.”
    • (Cruz to Otis): “Bees, Otis. Bees to honey.”
  • (Otis to Boden about the Truck Crest): “I was wondering what the proper protocol would be for designing a new crest for the Truck? It’s just that, sir, Engine has a camel, which I get, and Squad has got a badass three-headed dog, which I get, and we [Truck] have a goat, sir.”
    • (Boden to Otis): “Named after Billy “Goat” Bukanski, the first chief of Firehouse 51 and a mentor to me.”
    • (Otis to Boden): “Just forget I said anything.”
  • (Otis to Cruz about Peter): “The abused, abuse, Cruz
  • “I’m thankful because I have two families, and not too many people can say that.”
  • (Otis to Mouch): “You’re the only guy I know that could have a beef with Canada.”
  • (Otis to Severide): Doctors don’t date patients, Lawyers don’t date clients, Victims are off limits to firefighters.
    • (Mouch to Otis): “Uh, actually, there’s nothing in the union bylaws that says you can’t date a victim."
  • Otis's dying words to Cruz : Brat, ya vsegda budu s toboy. (Russian/Cyrllic: Брат, я всегда буду с тобой.) "Brother, I will be with you always."

Notes and Trivia[]

  • He was originally assigned to elevator duty, which earned him the nickname "Otis", after the Otis Elevator Company.
  • Zvoneček is a Czech word for “small bell”.
  • He had 236 subscribers for his podcast. (S1E10)
  • Both he and Severide have dated a family member of the other; Otis dated Katie Nolan, the half-sister of Severide while Severide dated Zoya, a cousin of Otis'.
  • Cruz named his son after him.
  • Otis has only said the title of an episode two times.
  • His mother's maiden name is Panchoulidze.[1]
  • His last words were, "Brother, I will be with you always."

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

Season 1
Pilot Mon Amour Professional Courtesy One Minute Hanging On
Rear View Mirror Two Families Leaving the Station It Ain't Easy Merry Christmas, Etc.
God Has Spoken Under the Knife Warm and Dead A Little Taste Nazdarovya!
Viral Better to Lie Fireworks A Coffin That Small Ambition
Retaliation Hit Leaders Lead Let Her Go A Hell of a Ride
Season 2
A Problem House Prove It Defcon 1 A Nuisance Call A Power Move
Joyriding No Regrets Rhymes with Shout You Will Hurt Him Not Like This
Shoved In My Face Out With a Bang Tonight’s the Night Virgin Skin Keep Your Mouth Shut
A Rocket Blasting Off When Things Got Rough Until Your Feet Leave the Ground A Heavy Weight A Dark Day
One More Shot Real Never Waits
Season 3
Always Wow Me Just Drive the Truck Apologies Are Dangerous The Nuclear Option
Madmen and Fools Nobody Touches Anything Chopper Arrest in Transit Santa Bites
Let Him Die Ambush Predator Three Bells Call It Paradise Headlong Toward Disaster
Red Rag the Bull Forgive You Anything Forgiving, Relentless, Unconditional I Am the Apocalypse You Know Where to Find Me
We Called Her Jellybean Category 5 Spartacus
Season 4
Let It Burn A Taste of Panama City I Walk Away Your Day Is Coming Regarding This Wedding
2112 Sharp Elbows When Tortoises Fly Short and Fat The Beating Heart
The Path of Destruction Not Everyone Makes It The Sky is Falling All Hard Parts Bad for the Soul
Two T's What Happened to Courtney? On the Warpath I Will Be Walking The Last One for Mom
Kind of a Crazy Idea Where the Collapse Started Superhero
Season 5
The Hose or the Animal A Real Wake-Up Call Scorched Earth Nobody Else Is Dying Today I Held Her Hand
That Day Lift Each Other One Hundred Some Make It, Some Don’t The People We Meet
Who Lives and Who Dies An Agent of the Machine Trading in Scuttlebutt Purgatory Deathtrap
Telling Her Goodbye Babies and Fools Take a Knee Carry Their Legacy Carry Me
Sixty Days My Miracle
Season 6
It Wasn't Enough Ignite on Contact An Even Bigger Surprise A Breaking Point Devil's Bargain
Down Is Better A Man's Legacy The Whole Point of Being Roommates Foul is Fair Slamigan
Law of the Jungle The F Is For Hiding Not Seeking Looking for a Lifeline The Chance to Forgive
The One That Matters Most Put White on Me When They See Us Coming Where I Want to Be The Strongest Among Us
The Unrivaled Standard One for the Ages The Grand Gesture
Season 7
A Closer Eye Going to War Thirty Percent Sleight of Hand This Isn't Charity A Volatile Mixture
All the Proof What Will Define You The Solution to Everything Always a Catch Inside These Walls
You Choose Make This Right The Plunge It Wasn't About Hockey What I Saw
Fault in Him Move a Wall No Such Thing as Bad Luck Until the Weather Breaks Try Like Hell
The White Whale I'm Not Leaving You
Season 8
Sacred Ground A Real Shot in the Arm Badlands Infection, Part I Buckle Up
What Went Wrong Welcome to Crazytown Seeing is Believing Best Friend Magic Hold Our Ground
Where We End Up Then Nick Porter Happened A Chicago Welcome Shut It Down Off The Grid
The Tendency of a Drowning Victim Protect a Child I'll Cover You Light Things Up 51's Original Bell

Crossover Appearances[]

Chicago P.D.[]

Chicago Med[]

References[]

  1. Mentioned in Santa Bites
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