The Firehouse 51’s sweetheart is ready for a new marriage and a new start outside Chicago.
Firehouse 51 has benefitted from dozens of talented recruits throughout the many seasons of Chicago Fire, but paramedic Sylvie Brett, played by Kara Killmer, takes the definition of dedicated to a new level.
Whether she’s helping a civilian while on a nail-biting call or snuggling up to Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer), any moment of Sylvie screen time is a blast. Effortlessly beautiful and infinitely charming, Sylvie is one of the most caring first responders to grace the Windy City. Her passion for helping fellow firefighters and empathy for those in need has led Sylvie to become a One Chicago M.V.P., and Chi-Hards can’t get enough of her.
But Season 12 brought both exciting news for Brett and sad news for her colleagues (and fans of the show).
Sylvie Brett is leaving Chicago after her engagement to Matthew Casey
Brett revealed to her Firehouse 51 loved ones in the Season 12 premiere (“Barely Gone”) that she is leaving Chicago soon.
With several kids between them, Brett and Casey decided to ditch their long-distance Portland-to-Chicago relationship, to blend their families — and have opted to move West. Brett revealed her plans after Randall “Mouch” McHolland (Christian Stolte) asked for details when the couple revealed another surprise in the season premiere: They’d gotten engaged.
“Matt and I talked it through and the truth is we’ve waited long enough to be together full-time,” Brett revealed.
After years of romantic tension and roadblocks, Brett accepted Casey’s Season 11 finale proposal and proudly wore her dazzling engagement while chatting about wedding plans with her Firehouse 51 colleagues. Brett lovingly revealed the ceremony will be in Chicago and will be kept to their family and Firehouse 51 loved ones.
Read on to look back on Sylvie Brett’s Chicago Fire journey to see how far the passionate paramedic has come.
Sylvie Brett and Matt Casey’s Relationship
The romance between Matt Casey and Sylvie was the will-they-won’t-they of the decade.
From Seasons 3 to Season 6 their relationship was primarily platonic as Casey was in a relationship with Brett’s then-partner Gabby Dawson (Monica Raymund) and Sylvie was dating other people. After Casey and Dawson broke up, Casey and Sylvie grew closer due to their mutual heartbreaks.
In Season 7 of Chicago Fire, Casey and Sylvie’s relationship began to take a new form as their interactions grew increasingly flirtatious — though that was when then-Fire Chaplain Kyle Sheffield (Teddy Sears) made his move and Sylvie briefly left Chicago to be with him.
After she returned in Season 8 of Chicago Fire, the idea of a Brettsey romance became a reality after Casey became Sylvie’s shoulder to cry on after the death of her mother.
In Season 9, Episode 2 (“That Kind of Heat”), the tension between Sylvie and Casey reached a boiling point after they shared an intimate kiss after a stressful call. Despite Chi-Hards thinking this was the moment they’d been waiting for, Sylvie asked Casey to leave after realizing he still harbored feelings for Dawson.
She then briefly dated CFD Lieutenant Greg Grainger before he realized her past with Casey prevented their relationship from flourishing.
In Season 9, Episode 15 (“A White-Knuckle Panic”), Casey revealed he was in love with Sylvie and no longer had any feelings for Dawson. By Season 10, the pair was happily dating, and everything was coming up roses.
Sadly for Brettsey fans everywhere, the relationship experienced major turbulence after Casey left both Firehouse 51 and Chicago after becoming the legal guardian of his late friend’s two sons who live in Portland. The pair initially agreed to take a stab at a long-distance relationship, but the separation proved devastating to their momentum as a couple.
In the Season 11 premiere of Chicago Fire, Sylvie broke up with Casey over the phone. After the break-up, she explored a relationship with a minor league hockey player named Dylan before he broke up with her in the Season 11 finale.
It was then that Casey returned with a marriage proposal for Sylvie — but fans had to wait for Season 12 for her to say “yes.”
When did Sylvie Brett first appear on Chicago Fire?
Sylvie made her way to Firehouse 51 in the Season 3 premiere of Chicago Fire (“Always”).
She moved to Chicago from Indiana after being placed at 51 as the replacement for Leslie Shay (Lauren German) following Shay’s death in the Season 2 finale. Due to the tragic circumstances of Sylvie’s placement, she didn’t receive the warmest of welcomes: She was paired up with fellow Dawson, who initially struggled to acclimate to her new partner, but warmed up to Sylvie with time.
Sylvie was forthright about having no intentions to replace Shay as a person; she just wanted to make a new home for herself. Sylvie soon became one of Gabby’s best friends and forged several steel-tight bonds throughout the CFD, making her paramount to their success.
Sylvie’s move to the Windy City came after she’d left Indiana because she’d supposedly gotten cold feet before her wedding to her one-time fiancé. In Season 3, Episode 4 (“Apologies Are Dangerous”), it was shockingly revealed that she hadn’t get cold feet — he had. Sylvie’s ex surprised her and her colleagues with a visit to the firehouse to get her back, but Sylvie pointed him to the door after being reminded of his cold-hearted and controlling nature.
Sylvie Brett’s Relationship with Joe Cruz
Newly single and making a name for herself within the Firehouse, Sylvie quickly caught the eyes of several of her fellow firefighters. One of Sylvie’s earliest Chicago Fire relationships was with Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso), whom she briefly dated before they went their separate ways amicably in Season 3.
Sylvie Brett’s Relationship with Chicago P.D.‘s Antonio Dawson
Sadly for their connection, an impromptu visit made by Antonio’s ex-wife to the firehouse jeopardized the relationship. After getting into a high-strung fight, Sylvie broke up with Antonio after he failed to empathize with the difficult position she was in.
Sylvie Brett’s Relationship with Kyle Sheffield
However, their relationship escalated after Kyle received a promotion to become the National First Responder and Peer Support Initiative Director, forcing him to relocate to Indianapolis for the job. Before moving, Kyle proposed to Sylvie, and she happily accepted, agreeing to move with him in the Season 7 finale.
At the beginning of Season 8, however, Sylvie returned to Chicago after ending her engagement.
Sylvie Brett and Her Biological Mom, Julia
Sylvie that she shared in the early seasons of Chicago Fire is that she was adopted and never met her birth parents. But, in Season 8, Sylvie’s biological mother Julie (Kelly Deadmon) reached out to her in order to reconnect. Having never met Julie before, Sylvie was hesitant to bridge the gap but ultimately met her biological mom in Season 8, Episode 15 (“Off The Grid”).
Part of the reason Julie reached out to Sylvie was because she became pregnant with Sylvie’s half-sister, Amelia. Hoping to forge a wholesome connection between her two daughters, Julie made an effort to win over the apprehensive Sylvie, who eventually warmed up to Julie.
Sadly, Julie was unable to welcome Amelia into the world the way she wished. After going into labor in Season 8, Episode 18 (“I’ll Cover You”), Julie died during childbirth. Amelia’s father, Scott, was devastated by Julie’s passing, forcing Sylvie to be potentially tasked with caring for her newborn half-sister.
Fortunately, Scott was able to manage his grief and stepped up to his fatherhood role.
Who is Sylvie Brett’s adopted daughter, Julia Brett?
Sylvie’s background as an adopted child and her subsequent connection with her biological mother laid the foundation for an exciting Season 11 plot line.
While responding to a 911 call in Season 11, Episode 20 (“Never, Ever Make a Mistake”), Sylvie and Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith) were tasked with delivering teen mother Amber’s baby after she went into labor prematurely. The delivery was performed without a hitch but Sylvie was subsequently shocked to learn that Amber had no interest in raising the kid. The baby was put up for adoption using Firehouse 51’s safe haven box that Sylvie had implemented, thus sparking a life-altering choice.
Sylvie set forth to adopt the baby herself, which became complicated after Julia was placed in the foster system. In an effort to expedite the adoption process, Sylvie paid a visit to Amber to encourage her to reclaim custody for the sake of naming her the legal guardian and eventual adoptive parent of the child. Amber agreed to the request, officially making Sylvie a mom-to-be. Sylvie named the newborn girl Julia after her late mother.
