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Pontiac Fire Department to end hospital-to-hospital transfers starting Jan. 1, 2026
Summary
Fire Chief Jacob Campbell said the Pontiac City Council approved an operational adjustment Aug. 18, 2025, and the department will phase out hospital-to-hospital interfacility transfers effective 01/01/2026 while continuing emergency transports, nonemergency hospital-to-home rides and STEMI transports as resources allow.
Jacob Campbell, fire chief of the Pontiac Fire Department, told residents that the City Council approved an operational adjustment Aug. 18, 2025, and that the department "will begin phasing out hospital to hospital inter facility transfers, with this change becoming effective 01/01/2026."
Campbell said the change responds to a "significant and ongoing increase in emergency incidents and inter facility transfer requests over the past 2 years" and is intended to protect the department's ability to answer 911 calls. "This operational change affects only the category of inter facility hospital to hospital transfers," he said.
The move does not affect the department's emergency-response obligations. Campbell said, "the Pontiac Fire Department will continue to provide emergency medical transport services for all those areas without interruption and to the highest professional standards." He specified the department will continue nonemergency transportation from the local hospital to residents' homes, including hospice patients, and will continue STEMI transports "as the hospital requests and as our resources allow."
Campbell said the city and fire department issued a press release after the council action and that he prepared an information sheet to align messaging with city leaders. He urged officials and community leaders to "speak with 1 consistent voice when discussing this issue publicly" to avoid confusion caused by audio issues during recent council meetings.
The statement identified the jurisdictions served as the City of Pontiac, the Pontiac rural fire protection district and the Cornell Fire Department's EMS jurisdiction. Campbell closed by thanking city leaders and residents and reaffirming the department's commitment to public safety.
The City Council action, the chief said, sets the effective date for the operational change but the transcript did not provide a council resolution number, vote tally, or details of implementation steps beyond the informational materials distributed to city leadership.
