Christopher Herrmann is a veteran firefighter and the commanding officer for the second shift of Engine 51. Herrmann is a self-described "general entrepreneur" and currently co-owns a bar called Molly's with Mouch.
Christopher is married to Cindy Herrmann, and at the beginning of the series, they have four children; three sons, Lee Henry, Luke, and Max, and one daughter, Annabelle. Cindy is noted as being a devout Catholic and is adamantly against using birth control. After backing out of the limousine business he'd attempted to start, he reveals to everyone that after the first time they've slept together in six months, she's expecting their fifth child, another son named Kenny James Herrmann, who is born during the Season 1 Finale. Cindy experiences some complications during labor and ends up giving birth via an emergency C-Section, during which time, Christopher is being held hostage by an inmate at the Cook County prison following a riot. He makes it through the ordeal uninjured and makes it to the hospital, where he gets to meet his son for the first time. At the same time, they ask Shay and Severide to be Kenny's godparents.
Quick Answers
What is Christopher Herrmann's role in the Chicago Fire Department?
Who are Christopher Herrmann's children in the series?
What business does Christopher Herrmann co-own with Mouch?
Personality[]
He shows great love and care towards his wife and children, to the point that he gets quite upset and depressed when he comes across child abuse cases.
He also developed a near father-daughter relationship with Chili in season 3 as he helps her design her dad's business idea, helping to fund and create it. This relationship greatly fades away by season 4 as she breaks away from him and the rest of 51 after her sister's death.
History[]
Season 1[]
At the beginning of the series, Christopher and Cindy lose their home to foreclosure and end up moving in with Cindy's parents, which he describes as being "two bedrooms shy of unbearable". Herrmann is severely injured when a floor collapses, dropping himself and Casey down from the third floor. His PASS device sounds, alerting the other firefighters of his location, and warning them he hasn't moved. He suffers from several injuries including pneumothorax, but he recovers and is back the next episode.
In an attempt to get his family into another house, Christopher makes several attempts to start his own business, until Cindy finally convinces him that the hassle he's putting himself through isn't worth it. She suggests that instead of looking to purchase another house, they rent. They end up taking a unit in a complex where one of Cindy's co-workers lives. "We'll make it our dream home," Cindy tells him.
Herrmann decides to open a bar close to the firehouse and pitches the idea to the rest of Firehouse 51. They are all hesitant except Otis, who agrees to join, and Dawson, who also jumps in quickly following a rocky relationship with Mills at the time. However, they all go through a tough time dealing with their bully 'silent' partner who wants more shares. However, he stands up to him and tells him he will only get less than 1% of the profit, to which the partner agrees and leaves them alone. While renovating, they find a box with a military medal inside. They track down the owner at a care home and he tells them about his wife who passed away. When Dawson asks her name, they decide to name the bar after her - Molly's.
Cindy has their fifth child, Kenny, in the last episode of season 1 after going through some complications, making Herrmann very happy. They make Shay and Severide Kenny's godparents.
Season 2[]
Herrmann, Dawson and Otis have troubles with Molly's when another, bigger bar opens up across the street from them - attracting all the attention. Their business suffers badly as all the customers end up going there instead of Molly's, including Cruz. Things worsen when Arthur, the silent partner, shows up. He asks for his share, but they don't have anything.
About a week later, the bar opposite Molly's suddenly burns down. Initially, Herrmann is questioned since the bar was competing with Molly's. Meanwhile, Molly's gains publicity and attracts all the new customers. Arthur visits again during rush hour and demands his share. The 3 tip over a few notes and cents from a cup onto the table, insulting him. They tell him it is his exact share of what he gets, which angers him. He tells them he's going to get 50% from then on and expects to be paid all the money the next time he comes. When he comes by later, the 3 don't have his money and this angers him - he smashes a chair at them, damaging the interior. Throughout this, Dawson has met a guy who she finds out is working for Arthur, who she then finds out is working for the CPD, trying to catch Arthur for illegal activities. He comes with Arthur when he arrives and demands for his money again while Dawson is working alone. She refuses and he sets fire to the counter, but Arthur is arrested for his crimes and Molly's is safe from him.
He takes the Lieutenant exam once again and passes this time.
When Rebecca Jones joins Firehouse 51 as the new candidate, her cocky behavior doesn't sit well with any of the members. However, it's revealed that her father is constantly trying to stop her being a firefighter and shutting down all of her ambitions, which eventually drives her to suicide. Herrmann and Mills get into a heated argument following the cause of her suicide. Mills accuses Herrmann and the others of being uncaring and inconsiderate, which Herrmann fights against until revealing his guilt in that he saw her the night before she died and wondered whether him saying something to her would've changed the outcome. They get past this together.
Season 3[]
Herrmann looks into expanding Molly's into a franchise and pitches his idea to the group. Cruz and Mouch want in and after a good presentation, Herrmann happily accepts their proposal of expanding Molly's into the food truck business.
There is tension between Herrmann and Dawson when she reveals that she's going to be a firefighter due to his previous bad experience with a female firefighter. When she finally passes her physical exam and becomes a candidate, Welch rejects her from Truck 66 and quickly recruits a male candidate, which upsets her so Boden overlooks her and Casey's relationship and lets her be the new candidate on Truck 81. This doesn't sit well with Herrmann as Casey makes a habit of overlooking all of her mistakes, forcing him to do the same and not question her. She reveals afterwards that she's deliberately making mistakes to test him and wants him to correct her, otherwise she won't learn. He's happy to hear this and takes her under his wing to train her, sometimes a little too vigorously.
Herrmann also helps Chief Boden when his newborn son is in critical condition after being born.
He also goes through a period of difficulty and darkness after a call reveals that a father smoked drugs in front of his baby son and was eventually the cause of his unfortunate death. He is furious seeing this, having 5 children of his own, and goes after the father. The father is arrested and Casey helps to calm Herrmann down.
Later on, Otis and Cruz join Herrmann in his 'Little League' idea of recruiting young children to play Ice Hockey. Herrmann eventually realises Luke, his son, is terrible and reluctantly benches him after Cruz and Otis point this out. To his surprise, he doesn't actually want to play and happily benches himself.
When Chili joins 51, despite the at-the-time cold welcome, she tries to make friends but doesn't have a lot in common with the others. This is until she reveals she's in the midst of creating and designing a button on the side of beverages to cool them instantly in 5 seconds. Being a business investor, Herrmann immediately jumps in and tells her she can sell it at Molly's as soon as she's finished. He helps her until Sylvie and Dawson tell him to calm and slow down since Chili's spending all of her money on it without leaving any to pay her bills. He tells this to Chili, who thanks him for his help, saying Herrmann reminds her of her own father who died, but created the idea in the first place. They get emotional and he says he will be right with her.
Herrmann and Cindy give Chili Molly's funds to help her idea, for which she is very thankful. They then celebrate their success when she finishes her design and successfully tests it. However, she's left deeply hurt and upset when they find that someone else has already created and launched it on TV. She cries, but Herrmann tells her she will definitely come up with something else and hugs her.
Season 4[]
After Captain Patterson, then chief, tells Cruz to tell Freddie he can no longer come to 51, Herrmann happily offers him a job at Molly's to get him out of the gang life he wants to escape. He's friendly towards him.
During a shift, Otis tells Freddie to get him a ball cup and he goes searching for it. Freddie is searching for the cup when Herrmann walks in and asks him what he's doing. After telling him, Herrmann says 'fat and short, just like you' as a joke. This irritates Freddie, who tells Herrmann to take it back. He refuses and says 'we all insult each other'. This doesn't comfort Freddie, who in a matter of seconds, takes out a dagger and stabs Herrmann. He drops to the floor as Freddie flees.
The doctors reveal that he's lost a lot of blood and it would be difficult for him to pull through. Things heat up between Rhodes (Chicago Med) and Severide after he accuses him of not treating Herrmann properly after Halstead (Med) says something about this to one of the others. However, he pulls through and is back to 51 soon. However, the encounter leaves him shaken and he's constantly on edge his first shift back - constantly worrying about Cindy and his kids, even though he tries to hide this. He also tells Cruz not to mention Freddie to him again. He makes a statement against Freddie in court.
Freddie's father, also in prison, requests that Herrmann see him. Cruz tells him not to go and he agrees, but ends up going anyway. He reveals that he used to beat Freddie and is the reason why he is the way he is. This makes Herrmann sympathetic and he retracts his statement. Cruz helps him through it.
Season 5[]
Herrmann and the other members of Truck 81 report their concerns about Jimmy Borelli to Boden and he is in attendance at Casey and Dawson's wedding. Other storylines include him dealing with Lee Henry and continuing to operate Molly's. in the Season 5 Finale, he is seen performing CPR on Mouch, who appears to be having a heart attack as an out of control fire rages around them.
Season 6[]
Herrmann, as well as the rest of the firehouse, return to normal after the fire, despite him being burned by boiling steam from the water cannons.
Season 7[]
During a charity picnic, Chief Boden makes an announcement where he promotes Herrmann to Lieutenant and places him in charge of Engine 51 to replace the retiring Lieutenant.
Season 8[]
In Sacred Ground, Herrmann and the squad realize the station is infested with bed bugs. He is quite upset about this and insults whoever was responsible for the mess. When he and Kidd stop by his home, Cindy tells him that their house is being fumigated because of bed bugs. This causes Kidd to laugh at the fact that Herrmann caused the ordeal as Herrmann tells her not to tell the others.
During Light Things Up, Herrmann is annoyed by a riot that breaks out at the firehouse. One of the protesters explains the reason for it is the closure of their local firehouse increasing response times and thus affecting their safety, including children. He asks Herrmann if he has kids himself and Herrmann confirms this. When the protest nearly gets out of hand, the alderman comes down, but the protest leader requires medical attention after his blood starts to clog up due to holding his arms in suspension for too long. Herrmann and the rest of the squad quickly help him, and as the man is loaded into the ambulance, Herrmann tells him to make sure that he recovers due to the fact that he has children waiting on him. When the rest of the protesters get violent and start a fight, Herman and the others defend the house until the police arrest the protesters. Herrmann and the squad then visit Cruz, who was injured in the protest and left with a scar on his head, and get him ready for his wedding. Herrmann visits the protester to tell him that his actions have actually done good, showing him Gallo's video of the events that followed. The video garnered mass attention and his firehouse might reopen. Herrmann and the others then attend Cruz's wedding.
In 51's Original Bell, he and the others eavesdrop on Blake arguing with Violet, surprised by him abruptly proposing to her before she leaves in shock. Herrmann is later at Molly's, where he and the others welcome Capp back. After teasing him on his eyesight and him returning the taunt, Herrmann allows free drinks to everyone to celebrate the recovery of his comrade.
Season 10[]
in The Right Thing, Herrmann hears a customer at Molly's making homophobic remarks directed at Darren Ritter and his partner Erik. He tells the customer to leave the bar, backed up by everyone from 51 present and many of the other customers. Not long after, he is on the scene as the same homophobic customer crashes his car not far from Molly's, and is there to help extinguish the car's flames after Ritter pulls the customer out of the car.
When Matthew Casey returns from Oregon after spending time with Griffin Darden and Ben Darden, Herrman is the first person Casey tells about what is going on. Casey tells Herrman how Andy Darden's two sons are now all alone in the world (their mother is in a correctional facility on another DUI charge, and their aunt ran out on them a month ago), and are in danger of being split up and sent to separate foster homes unless Casey becomes their legal guardian. Casey tells Herrmann he may have to move to Oregon, and Herrmann tells Casey "It breaks my heart to hear you say that. Because it means you're leaving 51. But it's what Andy would have wanted." (The Right Thing)
Season 11[]
Season 12[]
After Boden was promoted to Deputy Commissioner, he declared his departure from 51 and endorsed Herrmann for the position of Battalion Chief while pointing out that Herrmann needed to take the Captain's exam in order to qualify for the said position.
season 13
Herrmann and Mouch take officers test
lieutenant captain and battalion chiefs
Abilities[]
- Skilled Fighter: Herrmann has been shown to be a skilled fighter with some knowledge of boxing.
Memorable Quotes[]
- "Lee Henry! I'm not gonna tell you again! Put the stick down before I beat you with it!" 1x02
- "I'm healed! I'm healed! It must've been living with my damn in-laws that was breaking me down!" 1x02
- "Like I said, it is not going to be all sun shine and roses" 1x24 (to Kenny Herrmann)
- "The difference between winners and losers is not who's the strongest; but who can recognize the strongest opportunity!" 2x10
- "If you need to talk, I've got club soda up the ying-yang. Just come and park it here. We'll solve the mysteries of the world." 2x18
- "It's my job as an old firefighter to teach the young firefighters how to become old ones." 3x06 (to Dawson)
- "Gays, firefighters and gay firefighters." 10x4 (to homophobes in his bar)
Notes and Trivia[]
- Christopher is known for his failed business opportunities.
- He passes the Lieutenant exam in 2x14, but he isn't promoted until 7x03.
- He is the same age as Mouch.
- He, Boden, Cruz and Casey are the only ones to have children.
- He has the most appearance on Chicago PD, appearing in 14 episodes. As of start of Season 10, he has appeared at least once in every season until Season 7. Season 3 with the most appearance with 6 episodes.
- He, Mouch and Boden are the three veterans at Firehouse 51.
- His father was not always around.
- His blood type is AB
- Growing up he spent many summers at his uncle Leslies goat farm ("Completely Shattered")
- As mentioned in S3 E4, his second firehouse choice was Firehouse 48.
- As mentioned by him in S13 E00, he has over 30 years of service.
- He has a scar on his torso from rescuing victims in a vehicle fire in 1992 (S8E14).
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
| Season 12 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barely Gone | Call Me McHolland | Trapped | The Little Things | On the Hook |
| Port in the Storm | Red Flag | All the Dark | Something About Her | The Wrong Guy |
| Inside Man | Under Pressure | Never Say Goodbye | ||
| Season 13 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Monster in the Field | Ride the Blade | All Kinds of Crazy | Through the Skin | Down the Rabbit Hole |
| Birds of Prey | Untouchable | Quicksand | ||
Crossover Appearances[]
Chicago Med[]
- S1E1 Derailed
- S1E5 Malignant
- S1E12 Guilty
- S1E14 Hearts
- S3E2 Nothing to Fear
- S3E7 Over Troubled Water
- S4E2 When to Let Go
- S4E7 The Poison Inside Us
- S4E15 We Hold These Truths
- S5E4 Infection, Part II
- S8E1 How Do You Begin to Count the Losses
- S8E4 The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Teacher
Chicago PD[]
- S1E1 Stepping Stone
- S1E6 Conventions
- S2E12 Disco Bob
- S3E4 Debts of the Past
- S3E5 Climbing Into Bed
- S3E6 You Never Know Who's Who
- S3E11 Knocked the Family Right Out
- S3E13 Hit Me
- S3E19 If We Were Normal
- S4E8 A Shot Heard Round The World
- S4E12 Sanctuary
- S5E16 Profiles
- S6E15 Good Men
- S7E4 Infection, Part III
Chicago Justice[]
- S1E3 See Something
- S1E6 Dead Meat
- S1E7 Double Helix