| “ | This is our firehouse. This is the 118. And it's not just a number. It's us. | ” |
— Howard Han[src]
| ||
Howard "Chimney" Han is a main character on 9-1-1 who works as a firefighter paramedic at Station 118 of the Los Angeles Fire Department. He debuts in the first episode of the first season of 9-1-1 and is portrayed by Kenneth Choi.
History[]
Early Life[]
Howard and his father didn't have a close relationship, even when they lived in the same house. Mr. Han was always distant to both Howard and his mother when they were young. Howard tried so many times to build a relationship with his father until he finally gave up after he realized his father was not only interested in being a parent. Howard and his family came over to California when Howard was 5 for his father's work, which was supposed to last for 2 years but actually lasted for 6. Howard's mother didn't want to go back to Korea, which didn't go down well with Howard's father. Mr. Han left for Korea without them assuming that they would eventually join him there which never happened. His mom ended up getting cancer and unfortunately died before Howard's 15th birthday. [3] After his mom died, Howard lived with Kevin Lee's parents when they took him in.
In 2005, Howard didn't know what he wanted to do with his life, which is why he tried many jobs. He ended up occasionally working for Kevin at the bar that he managed. Eventually, it was destroyed during a flash fire, but Howard managed the scene properly until the LAFD arrived, earning him some applause. [2]
Despite the loss of the bar, Howard decided that he wanted to become a firefighter and Kevin did the same. Kevin's parents weren't happy with Kevin's decision to risk his life but both of them insisted that it was what they wanted to do. The two powered through firefighter training but were separated when it came to their graduation. They were sent to separate firehouses in LA. Howard was sent to Station 118 and Kevin to Station 133. When he arrived at Station 118, Howard was forced by the captain to do the grunt work and wasn't allowed to go with the other firefighters to the emergencies, resulting in him fabricating his missions whereas Kevin was having a good time. Eventually, Eli Cobb, one of the paramedics, took pity on Howard and asked to have him on his service to which Howard enjoyed, so much so that he decided to become a firefighter-paramedic. [2]
During a building fire, Howard responded to it and he finds Kevin also present. Kevin was soon killed when trying to save a pregnant woman. Howard moved out of Kevin's parents' place after Kevin's funeral and went back to work not long after. At a building collapse incident, Howard finds many of the victims showing signs of gas poisoning and suspects an explosion. Coupled with the fact that Tommy Kinard was stuck inside, he correctly deduces the incident damaging a gas main and gets Athena to evacuate everyone around before barging inside. Howard makes it out with Tommy just as the explosion occurs, and he earns the respect of other firefighters. [2]
Relationship with Tatiana[]
In the pilot, Chimney is dating Tatiana, who he met on a dating site for cops and firefighters called RomancingtheUniform. Chimney describes Tatiana as a second-hand adrenaline junkie.[5] His relationship is built primarily on his embellished stories and lies. He believes that in order to get her to stay with him he needs to be dramatic, interesting, and heroic. Chimney’s initially portrayed as frustrated at work, asking Bobby if he can do the heroic moves, which Bobby denies, telling him that is job is important. This struggle appears to be exacerbated by his current relationship as Chimney tries to mold himself to fit into what he believes she wants. [6]
Impulsively, Chimney proposes to Tatiana. She tells him that she needs to think about it, citing her issues with commitment and not being prepared for Chimney to propose — they hadn’t been dating long. She asks for a few days, and Chimney agrees. Chimney shows up to work the next day feeling rejected. He asks the team for their support, but Bobby expresses concern about their relationship and the dishonesty, saying Tatiana is manipulating him. After the fight, Chimney leaves his shift early. [6]
Rebar Accident[]
In the car after leaving shift, Chimney is speeding and driving recklessly. He gets into a car accident and a piece of rebar from the truck that rear-ends him impales his skull. The 118 responds to the accident. Chimney miraculously survives, but there were complications during the surgery, and they put him in a medically induced coma. While he’s in a coma, Tatiana refuses to visit him, eventually breaking it off. [6]
Firefighter Calendar[]
During the opening of season 2, Chimney, Bobby, Buck, and Eddie all turn in pictures for the firefighter calendar, which raises funds for charity. Chimney tells Hen that he’s turning in his photo because he believes it’s important for people to see an Asian man as a firefighter, and he saw very few heroes like him growing up. However, letting his insecurities get the best of him, Chimney decides not to turn a photo in at all, believing Buck and Eddie would win because they are stronger and younger than him. Behind his back, Hen turns in a photo that was taken by a news outlet of Chimney carrying a child to safety and he ends up winning. Hen tells him she didn’t send a “picture of you pretending to be a big damn hero, but an actual picture of you being a hero”, reassuring him that he is a hero. [7]
Aftermath of the Rebar Accident[]
Ten months after the rebar accident, Chimney is given a clean bill of health, reportedly having no traumatic brain injury or long-term effects. He lies to the doctor and tells him that he doesn’t remember anything from the accident. Later, he admits to Bobby that he remembers everything. He says that he dreams about it and that it keeps him up at night. [8]
While leaving the doctor’s office that day, he runs into Tatiana who is heavily pregnant and tells him that she’s married. Tatiana apologizes for acting like she did during their relationship. The conversation leaves Chimney feeling like the rebar incident was meant to be life-changing, but it wasn’t. He worries that he’s still the same, that nothing positive has come out of such a traumatic experience. Chimney reaches back out to Tatiana. He thanks her for breaking it off and acknowledges that their relationship was built on lies. They part amicably. [8]
Meeting Maddie[]
Chimney meets Buck's older sister, Maddie, when helping her move into her new house. They both form a mutual attraction to one another and start going out on a few dates.
Befriending Doug and Getting Stabbed[]
Doug had tracked Maddie down in L.A. and had met Chimney. Doug introduced himself as "Jason" to Chimney and they hang out a couple times. Unbeknownst to Chimney, this was only so Doug could keep tabs on Maddie and her life before he would later kidnap her.
When arriving to Maddie's house for a date, Doug had gotten through the gates and stabbed Chimney in the stomach, which allowed him to knock out Maddie. Buck finds his friend and colleague bleeding on the ground, realizing Doug had found his sister and kidnapped her.
Albert's Visit[]
Albert, Chimney's younger brother, came from Korea to meet and visit Chimney in Los Angeles to escape their overbearing father, Chimney invites him to live with him after working out the resentment he had towards him. However, Chimney becomes jealous when he bonds with his team and nearly sends away after lashing out at him by stating he was basically a stranger. Chimney later regrets his choice and apologizes to Albert for making him the target of his anger when really, it's their father and he should not blame Albert.
First Child[]
At the end of the third season, Maddie finds out that she is pregnant. Eventually, Maddie and Chimney welcome their baby girl, Jee-Yun Buckley Han after Maddie goes into labor while at work.
Albert’s Near Death[]
In "Blindsided", Albert was helping Chimney and Maddie with their close calls in the labor. One night, he was driving on the freeway before he is involved in a serious car crash when sideswiped by Rachel Hawkerson, a drunk driver and his car flips over, landing in a drainage ditch. Prior to the accident, he had tried to call 9-1-1 to alert them about the drunk driver, but his call was dropped shortly after May Grant answered it. When May tries to call him back, she receives Albert's voicemail and realizing his connection to Chimney, she alerts the 118 that he is in danger after Buck recognized the voicemail. The team is able to find him, but he goes into cardiac arrest in the ambulance. However, Henrietta Wilson manages to revive him after performing CPR. Albert remains in a coma for several days following the accident. He wakes up briefly to find his crying brother and complains about the pain. He is soon told of his niece being born.
Maddie's Postpartum[]
Unfortunately, Maddie starts suffering from postpartum depression after Jee's birth which causes her to quit her job as a dispatcher.
It gets worse by the fifth season and the medication she's taking isn’t working and her being isolated due to Chimney being busy at work doesn’t help.
An exhausted and medicated Maddie gives Jee a bath, but she falls asleep for a second and Jee slips under the water. Maddie quickly wakes up and gets her out of the tub before she drowns, then takes her to the hospital afterward.
She blames herself for nearly letting her baby drown and decides Jee is not safe with her, so she drops her off at the firehouse. She leaves Chimney a video message and leaves town for six months, not telling anyone where she went.
After being on a call with Maddie, Buck tells Chimney he heard the One if By North, Two if By Sea church bell in Boston on the call.
Reuniting with Maddie in Boston[]
While Maddie was attempting to save a woman’s life, she saw Chimney who arrived to help and the two reunite.
Chimney and Maddie talk outside the hospital where both explain their feelings and experiences from the past six months. They tearfully apologize to each other and Maddie is finally ready to see her daughter again.
New House[]
Maddie and Chimney to start house hunting before Chimney finds himself falling in love with the “murder house” that he later discovers is not what it seems when he shows Maddie around. They make the decision to buy that house together and a few months down the line the house is almost completely refurbished and the three of them moved in. [9]
Wedding and Encephalitis[]
Chimney and the 118 responded to a call of a man stuck in the house ducts where both contracted encephalitis. There, he almost misses his wedding with Maddie. When his family and friends find out he is missing, they track him through his phone, security cameras and satellite pictures to retrace Chimney's steps. Along the way, he treats many people in their emergencies. Chimney is found by his adoptive parents and taken to the hospital to treat his encephalitis. There he gets married to Maddie.
Fostering Mara[]
Chimney helps Hen in fostering Mara. When Mara was taken away, he helps Hen regain custody of Mara.
Maddie's Second Pregnancy[]
Chimney realizes that Maddie is pregnant with their second child. Their second child is revealed to be a boy.
CCHF[]
Chimney and the 118 responded to a call in a bio lab. Their rescue became complicated with one of the employees terminated suffering from savior complex in planning to expose the world to CCHF and there is only one cure. Realizing the army and the F.B.I. weren't going to involve themselves or give aid, Chimney gave instructions to Bobby of how to treat Hen who suffered from a collapsed lung due to the explosion and he didn't want to risk treating Hen in case she was infected. Fortunately, the 118 and their friends and families managed to help each other out and Chimney was cured. But, at the cost of Bobby's life because his oxygen was damaged in the explosion much to Chimney's grief and sadness.
Physical appearance[]
Chimney is of Korean descent, with pale skin, brown eyes and black hair. In the first season, his hair was seen gelled up but is seen with less product in the seasons following it. He is on the shorter side, and is the shortest male on the main cast. He has a lean build, with sculpted abs and a tattoo of the word "love" in Korean on his left pec. After his rebar accident, Chimney had a scar on his forehead that lasted until the third season, where it faded.
Personality[]
Howard is shown as playful, loyal, and devoted. He never goes back on a promise and always wants to do what's right. He has a strong desire to do what he feels is right, instead of what's actually right. He is infamously unable to keep a secret but works hard to when he fears it will harm the people close to him. [10]
Relationships[]
Henrietta Wilson[]
Hen has a close relationship with "Chimney" Han. They call each other "best friend" on multiple occasions and often come to each other's aid. When Hen first joined the 118, Chimney was the first to show her compassion and friendship. They later bonded over becoming paramedics and discrimination at work. Their friendship extended beyond work, as shown with Chimney's health issues and through Hen's relationship issues.
Edmundo Diaz[]
- Main article: Chimney-Eddie (relationship)
Maddie Han[]
- Main article: Chimney-Maddie (relationship)
Chimney and Maddie quickly develop a close friendship, fueled by their shared interests and sense of humor. Buck notices their closeness first, but the couple eventually become aware of their attraction. They face multiple difficulties in their relationship, starting with Maddie's ex-husband Doug stabbing Chimney and kidnapping Maddie on what was intended to be their first date. However, the couple makes it through their traumas and difficulties intact. Season three ends with the couple happily embracing after learning that they are having a child. In "Blindsided", Maddie gave birth to a baby girl and named her Jee-Yun after Chimney's late mother. They suffered through difficulties in their relationship due to Maddie's postpartum depression and in "Fear-O-Phobia" they claimed that they had broken up. However, they get back together in "Let the Games Begin" with Maddie proclaiming that she is done running. In "Love Is in the Air", Chimney and Maddie become engaged, and they later get married in "There Goes the Groom".
Trivia[]
- Chimney is abnormally terrified of reptilians, having held back when confronted with pythons and lizards.
- Chimney is afraid of Dobermanns. [11]
- Chimney turned 40 years old in "Seize the Day", which takes place after the holidays.
- However, his ID in the second season episode, "Merry Ex-Mas" states his birthday is in October, but the episode "Malfunction" takes place in November which is a few episodes before "Seize the Day". This is likely an error on the writers' part.
- His ID also states his legal name is "Howie", not "Howard", despite having introduced himself as the latter.
- However, his ID in the second season episode, "Merry Ex-Mas" states his birthday is in October, but the episode "Malfunction" takes place in November which is a few episodes before "Seize the Day". This is likely an error on the writers' part.
- He is seen driving a blue 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX during the first season. [6]
- The reasoning behind Chimney's nickname has yet to be revealed and has become a running gag throughout the series.
- In "Stuck", Hen wants to tell Christopher Diaz the story behind Chimney's nickname, but he stops her.
- In "Dosed", Taylor Kelly asks about that story and Hen tells her it's "Not one you can tell on TV".
- In "Seize the Day", Albert asks "So how did he get the nickname Chimney?" to Hen, though it was not answered.
- In "Alone Together", Buck and Chimney search for an infant in the aftermath of a landslide. When the baby monitor signal they follow leads to a house buried up to its eaves in mud, the house’s chimney is the only (or optimal) way in. As Buck prepares to lower Chim down the chimney, Chim tells Buck that “in the future if anybody asks, this is how [he] got [his] name”, implying the original source of the nickname was not a similar rescue.
- In "In Another Life", Buck goes to Chimney's house in his coma dream where they do not know each other. Chim threatens to call the police, but Buck proves they know each other by telling him he knows why they call him Chimney. However, that part of the conversation isn't shown.
- In "There Goes the Groom", Chimney suffers amnesia due to a viral encephalitis. In the final scene, before his memory has fully returned, he asks Maddie "Why do they call me Chimney?". The episode ends before she can answer.
- When he leaves to find Maddie, he is seen driving a blue Jeep Grand Cherokee.
- As a person born to South Korean parents, Han would have had to do 1 year of military service if he had gone back to South Korea after turning age 18. However, it is likely he had become a US citizen and formally renounced his citizenship of birth.
- The tattoo on his right pec means love in Korean.
Appearances[]
| Season One | ||||
| "Pilot" | "Let Go" | "Next of Kin" | "Worst Day Ever" | "Point of Origin" |
| "Heartbreaker" | "Full Moon (Creepy AF)" | "Karma's a Bitch" | "Trapped" | "A Whole New You" |
| Season Three | |||||
| "Kids Today" | "Sink or Swim" | "The Searchers" | "Triggers" | "Rage" | "Monsters" |
| "Athena Begins" | "Malfunction" | "Fallout" | "Christmas Spirit" | "Seize the Day" | "Fools" |
| "Pinned" | "The Taking of Dispatch 9-1-1" | "Eddie Begins" | "The One That Got Away" | "Powerless" | "What's Next?" |
| Season Four | |||||
| "The New Abnormal" | "Alone Together" | "Future Tense" | "9-1-1, What's Your Grievance?" | "Buck Begins" | |
| "Jinx" | "There Goes the Neighborhood" | "Breaking Point" | "Blindsided" | "Parenthood" | |
| "First Responders" | "Treasure Hunt" | "Suspicion" | "Survivors" |
| Season Five | |||||
| "Panic" | "Desperate Times" | "Desperate Measures" | "Home and Away" | "Peer Pressure*" | "Brawl in Cell Block 9-1-1" |
| "Ghost Stories" | "Defend in Place" | "Past is Prologue" | "Wrapped in Red" | "Outside Looking In" | "Boston" |
| "Fear-O-Phobia" | "Dumb Luck" | "FOMO" | "May Day" | "Hero Complex" | "Starting Over" |
Note:
* denotes voice only appearance.
| Season Six | |||||
| "Let the Games Begin" | "Crash & Learn" | "The Devil You Know" | "Animal Instincts" | "Home Invasion" | "Tomorrow" |
| "Cursed" | "What's Your Fantasy?" | "Red Flag" | "In a Flash" | "In Another Life" | "Recovery" |
| "Mixed Feelings" | "Performance Anxiety" | "Death and Taxes" | "Lost & Found" | "Love Is in the Air" | "Pay It Forward" |
| Season Nine | |||||
| "Eat the Rich" | "Spiraling" | "The Sky Is Falling" | "Reentry" | "Día de los Muertos" | "Family History" |
| "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" |
| "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" |
Quotes[]
Chimney: Pulse ox is on. Pad's on. (first line) |
Chimney [to a crow]: Okay, are you a good omen or a bad omen? Because you know, I googled you, and the old wives are kinda divided on this question. |
Chimney [after purchasing the alcohol]: Oh no, it's not for us, it's for the kids! |
Gallery[]
|
A more complete gallery with pictures of Howard Han can be found here. |
References[]
- ↑ "Careful What You Wish For"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Chimney Begins"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Seize the Day"
- ↑ "Voices"
- ↑ "Pilot"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Next of Kin"
- ↑ "Under Pressure"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Stuck"
- ↑ "What's Your Fantasy?"
- ↑ "9-1-1, What's Your Grievance?"
- ↑ "Let Go"