Joliet Fire Department to receive national award for community mental health efforts

The Joliet Fire Department will receive a national award recognizing their community mental health program that has provided rapid care to more than 2,000 residents since 2022.

On Feb. 13, the fire department will receive the 2025 Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award in Washington, D.C., according to a Dec. 6 statement from the Congressional Fire Services Institute.

The presentation of the award will take place at the 35th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services dinner in Washington.

The award recognizes fire departments for “outstanding achievements in the delivery of emergency medical services,” according to the institute.

The award is considered the “highest award in fire service for leadership” in emergency medical services.

“I congratulate the Joliet Fire Department for developing an innovative [emergency medical services] program that addresses a significant challenge facing the department and enhances its EMS capabilities,” Jim Estepp, president of the institute, said in a statement.

The co-sponsors of the award include the Congressional Fire Services Institute and Masimo, a global medical technology company based in Irvine, California.

The award recognizes the Joliet Fire Department’s community mental health program, which provides prevention and awareness training for firefighters, rapid crisis intervention and cost-free definitive mental health services, according to the institute.

“An important element of the program is the City of Joliet establishing a fund to cover the costs of the services not covered by insurance. Since 2022, the program has provided rapid care to over 2,000 residents seeking treatment for mental illness or experiencing traumatic events,” said officials with the institute.

Last year, Joliet fire officials spoke at a public safety forum about how they’ve been working on empowering the community to help fellow residents with medical care and to address the root causes of mental health crises across the city.

“If we can educate the community and mitigate issues before and prevent them, then hopefully we can reduce the amount of times we need to respond,” said Joliet Fire Chief Jeff Carey.

In 2020, the fire department sought to become more than just a “response organization” by engaging in a community risk reduction program, Carey said.

The Joliet Fire Department has engaged in a community care program that connects people and families facing “complex challenges” in the city with resources from multiple community agencies.

“The average client we see through the community care program needs four community resources to solve their issues. So you can see how they can get lost in the process, and we’re there to help guide them through it,” Carey said.