hospital, experiences a vision of going to hell. Tommy subsequently vows to change his ways, to stop drinking, and to be a better person, firefighter, father, and husband. Janet alerts Tommy that Colleen, now 21-years-old, is becoming an alcoholic, leading Tommy to take drastic measures. Janet also seeks to force Tommy to permanently sever ties with Sheila, as Sheila uses her son Damian and his position in Tommy's fire crew as leverage to continue their affair, even as she begins to date Tommy's ex-priest cousin Mickey. Tommy and Janet reconnect, even as their daughter Katy threatens to disown them after she is accepted into a private boarding school away from the city. Engine Company 99/Ladder Company 62 Firehouse is targeted for closure due to citywide budget cuts, which would leave the community it serves without any fire and emergency rescue services. This causes a major power struggle to break out between Battalion Chief "Needles" Nelson and his superior, Battalion (later Deputy) Chief Feinberg. Feinberg is accused by Needles of betraying the firefighters under him, as it appears Feinberg has made a corrupt bargain that will give him command over another existing house, nearby Engine Company 333/Ladder Company 74, in exchange for allowing his station to be shut down (and his men laid off and/or transferred). Taking matters into his own hands, Needles video-records Tommy and the crew rushing to the aid of deaf children when a fire breaks out at the community school, while the firefighters are all off-duty. The first fire company arrives late to the scene, long after Needles' crew has saved the children. Needles promptly uses the video to blackmail his and Feinberg's superiors into saving the house from any budget shutdowns, earning Needles the praise of his underlings, and exposing Feinberg's disdain for Tommy and the rest of the rank and file firefighters. Damian — who had begun to have doubts about being a firefighter, only to be talked into continuing by Tommy — suffers a traumatic head injury while fighting a fire, which leaves him severely brain-damaged and unable to walk or communicate. The strain of dealing with her son's incurable condition breaks up Sheila and Mickey's relationship. Amidst Tommy trying to balance both Sheila and Janet, Janet reminds him that Damian is not his responsibility, and that he should be more concerned with his own children. Tommy realizes he needs to be more proactive