Although “Chicago Fire” fans have been preparing for this moment

for months, it was still hard to say goodbye to Kara Killmer, who has

played paramedic Sylvie Brett for roughly 10 seasons of the One

Chicago series. Killmer bid farewell during Season 12, Episode 6 – “Port in the Storm” — which saw Brett marrying longtime love interest Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer, who has also left “Chicago Fire”) and riding off into the proverbial sunset. The send-off was so perfect it very well might end up becoming Killmer’s favorite “Chicago Fire” episode.

The monumental occasion wasn’t lost on Killmer or other members of the “Chicago Fire” cast and crew. In fact, as Killmer recently revealed in an interview, one crew member gave her a parting gift that brought her to tears. While speaking with PEOPLE about her final episode, Killmer said, “I did break down at one point when our paramedic technician, Michelle Martinez … gave me a necklace with a replica of the Chicago Fire Department badge, and it has Sylvie’s badge number on it … She gave it to me with the EMS prayer, and it was incredibly thoughtful.”

Considering Martinez has been a consultant on “Chicago Fire” since Season 1, it’s not hard to see why the gift was so special to Killmer.

While ending a 10-year-long run on a TV series is bound to be an emotional choice, it sounds as though Kara Killmer is at peace with her decision to exit. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, she said, “I had a lot of time to process Sylvie’s exit. And so these last six episodes, and certainly the last episode, all felt like bonus to me. I feel like I probably spent more time just savoring it and having fun, rather than necessarily doing a lot of grieving.”

As for what’s next for Killmer, she revealed to THR that she’s currently exploring her options, and that she’s excited for new acting challenges. “There’s a lot of interesting new content being made out there, so I am excited to kind of switch gears and invest in a different kind of character,” she said. “It is absolutely a privilege to have done 10 years on a Dick Wolf show, and certainly getting to work in a story space representing first responders is very, very special. But I’ll be excited to try something that’s totally new.”