There wasn’t much revealed about him except that he was fast on his feet as

a firefighter, and he was open to joining a firehouse. It was like stars aligned since

Truck 81 needed a new member. Firehouse 51 is a special house. The team is

eclectic but they all share a common love for the job. It was no surprise that Mouch was concerned the new guy might not be a great fit. Chicago Fire season 12 episode 3 “Trapped” finally brought Derrick into the same space with the rest of the firehouse members. Even if events in the episode weren’t too heavily focused on him, enough was revealed about this new addition. A lot of floaters have walked through those doors and many have not survived. It is important for people in teams to work well together and in the case of firefighters, it might be difference between life and death.

Some characters don’t know how to play well with others but Derrick appeared different. His first order of business was to complement the team for being a fine one which they all appreciated — most of them anyway. Even on his first day, Derrick seemed on beat with the rest of the team, as if he had always been there. Were it not for Derrick, Firehouse 51 might be singing a different song about Kylie. He saved her life almost singlehandedly. That takes a good firefighter. In “Trapped” he played well with the team during the forklift accident, helping rescue in any way possible, including crowd control. Many newbies are either too timid or overtop but he struck an impressive balance. Based on the two emergencies he has responded to, Derrick seems like he a good fit for firehouse.

It takes a great deal of time to peel into a character and learn everything about them. Many of the regular characters don’t have many secrets but every new addition to the team has always had a story. The team learned that Derrick used to be a boxer, something he doesn’t like to talk about much, if at all. The reminder of this past had him snapping at some guy, so there must be something there. This secret is a huge one because it teases an interesting character, which is what Firehouse 51 is made of.

It will be fun to see how Derrick interacts with the rest of the team and how his past will come in play. Apart from saving Kylie, it seemed like Derrick and Kylie were mutually attracted to each other. Kylie is a member of the 51 family even if she might not be as present in it nowadays. If things develop between them to a certain extent, Derrick will be connected to the firehouse in more ways than one. He might not be from a legacy firefighting family but maybe his will be the beginning of one.