Springfield Fire Chief is excited for city's 'monumental' new BEACON program

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - More counselors will go out on drug and mental health calls with Springfield Fire units.

The City said in a press release that the BEACON Project (Bridging Emergency And Community Outreach Network) will help transform the community's response to opioid-related and mental health service calls.

Last year, Springfield police and fire departments went out on nearly 1,800 mental health calls.

"They're just so unpredictable," Springfield Fire Chief Nick Zummo said of those calls. "You have everything from someone just having a bad day and wanting to talk all the way up to threatening suicide or others. We're thinking that with EMTs and with social workers, maybe we can build trust and build a relationship with some of these people."

The BEACON Project will connect the Springfield police and fire departments and local behavioral health partners to create a more unified crisis response system throughout the area.

Additionally, SFD will unveil a BEACON Outreach Life-saving Treatment (BOLT) vehicle to function as a mobile response for behavioral health emergencies.

"We'll run the BOLT, which is the apparatus we'll operate, with two EMTs on it, and then we'll have social workers that accompany them to try a more proactive approach to connect with these people in crisis," Zummo said. "It's monumental for the Springfield Fire Department. It's monumental for the city."

Zummo said he hopes the program will be up and running by next summer.

The money used to fund BEACON comes from the city's allocation of the national opioid settlement money.

Witness list revealed in Sean Grayson Murder Trial

What to know about the $250 million ballroom Trump is adding to the White House

Pritzker pushes immigration, transit reform during second week of veto session