Timely Emergency Response Remains a Top Priority for AFD: Albany Fire Department (AFD) is committed to providing rapid emergency medical services across our 205-square-mile service area. With only five ambulances covering this large region, high call volumes and external challenges like hospital availability can impact our response times.
When a hospital goes on divert, it means they are temporarily requesting that ambulances transport patients to other facilities, due to several reasons, such as:
High patient
volume
Limited
staffing
A shortage of
available hospital beds
Equipment outages
or maintenance
Why does this matter?
Hospital divert situations impact everyone in the community. Longer transport and wait times reduce ambulance availability and delay emergency response. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to ensure all patients receive safe, timely care.
How does this impact our emergency response?
When our local Samaritan Albany General Hospital is on divert, Albany Fire will transport patients to nearby facilities such as Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis or Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital.
This increases ambulance turnaround times due to longer travel distances, resulting in fewer units available for emergency calls. During divert conditions, Albany Fire may not be able to honor requests for transport to a specific hospital.
If all three local hospitals (Albany, Corvallis, and Lebanon) are on divert at the same time, Albany Fire will continue transporting patients to Samaritan Albany General Hospital, unless the patient requires specialized care not available there.
When transporting patients to a hospital on divert, extended wait times are likely. Albany Fire personnel must remain with the patient—sometimes for one to three hours—until hospital staff can take over care.
5-Week Hospital Divert Data
