Jose Vargas was a member of Truck 81 at the beginning of the series. He soon became a member of Rescue Squad 3, but he was injured in the line of duty at a factory fire where he breathed in magnesium particles. The particles badly burned his lungs.
Vargas was found to be unfit for duty and put on long-term disability due to the severity of his injuries.
Vargas couldn't handle not being a firefighter and almost committed suicide by jumping off the roof of Firehouse 51, but he was stopped by Severide and Casey.
Quick Answers
What led to Jose Vargas being declared unfit for duty on Chicago Fire?
How did Vargas sustain his injury on Chicago Fire?
Who stopped Vargas from committing suicide on Chicago Fire?
What role did Vargas play at Firehouse 51 before his injury?
Season 1[]
In the locker room, Vargas is the one to notice that Severide has injured his shoulder on a call. Boden announced that Vargas was officially part of Squad 3 (One Minute).
In It Ain't Easy, Firehouse 51 responds to a building fire that originated in a trashcan. They come to suspect that the fire was set by a young boy named Ernie. Severide and Vargas team up on the roof, but Vargas is blasted with smoke and he falls to the ground coughing and struggling to breathe. He is sent to the hospital, and the next morning Boden informs the house that Vargas inhaled magnesium shavings, which severely burned his lungs and resulted in an upper respiratory tract infection. He later returns to the firehouse with an inhaler that he has to use four times a day.
Boden has Casey and Severide break the news to Vargas that he is being put on long-term disability, because his test results show chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a slow deterioration of the lungs and skeletal muscle dysfunction. He will still be getting paid 75% of his salary, though. Vargas is upset and wants to know if Severide ever got his shoulder checked out, saying that he's the one that should be on disability. Later, in the locker room, as Mills watches Vargas pack up, Vargas offers some essential advice: when an opportunity comes, grab it. As Vargas makes his exit, the entire firehouse hands him his firefighter hat, signed and inscribed, and hugs him goodbye (It Ain't Easy).
Vargas returns to the firehouse, wanting to be in the company of his friends, who told him to 'come by whenever,' but it's clear that it's awkward for the other firefighters, especially with Vargas trying to convince them all to go drinking with him after shift. No one takes him up on it, even though he's buying. Walking out of the firehouse, Severide notices that Vargas stayed the entire shift. He invites Vargas on his date with Renee and Vargas seems to be happy to have someone to talk to (It Ain't Easy).
Trivia[]
- In The One That Matters Most, Mouch says that he heard that Vargas moved to Alabama, but he isn't sure that that's right.
- In It Ain`t Easy, Peter asks him "How long did it take to get from truck to squad?"
- He replies with "16 years, My whole career and five weeks to get booted out"
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 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 | ||
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Episode: It Ain't Easy