The project includes the integration of the 112 Aragon, Civil Protection, Infoar, 061 and Attached Police Unit services, which will share information, technology and workspace and, in an emergency, will be able to work with the same information and coordinate their actions more quickly.
The objective, explained Aragon Government president Jorge Azcón during a visit to the construction site, is to “improve emergency management in our autonomous community.” In an emergency, Azcón insisted, “every second counts.” Having facilities with these characteristics will make it possible for a call to be answered sooner, information to arrive more quickly or a resource to be mobilized without waiting for another exchange of information.
In addition to enabling a faster response, the center will be more effective, the president said, because bringing all the services together in the same building means they “will share information, technology and workspace.” Thus, when an especially serious emergency has to be dealt with, “those responsible will be able to make decisions with the same information, the same technology and in the same center,” he said.
FROM REGIONAL TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES
This coordination will not be limited to services under the authority of the state administration; it will also extend to local authorities. The center will have liaison officers from the UME and Civil Guard, while Zaragoza Local Police’s 062 will be integrated into 112. “This summer we signed an agreement with Zaragoza City Council so that 092 calls could be transferred to 112, where they can be answered and passed directly to the local police,” Azcón added.
According to the Government’s forecasts, work, which began in May last year, will continue until the end of 2026. They also indicated that the building could be ready for full operation, once the technological and operational equipment has been installed and the services and professionals who will work at the center have been relocated, in summer 2027. By then, around 300 people will work at the center continuously, joined by the additional personnel needed in an emergency.
INITIAL INVESTMENT HAS BEEN INCREASED
The investment initially planned for construction of the center has been increased during the course of the work. The original construction contract amounted to 7.25 million euros, to which an amended contract worth 2.34 million euros was added to incorporate, among other measures, improvements arising from the blackout experience.
For the president, this center, given its nature and purpose, “cannot be left without response capacity because of a power or communications failure.” He therefore said they had decided to strengthen the project while it was being carried out. “We have increased energy generation and storage capacity with high-capacity batteries and improved Aragon’s communications and emergency network with a new communications tower. Its operations and procedures will be highly secure,” Azcón explained.
This amount is joined by 4.5 million euros for technological and operational equipment and 400,000 euros for projects, construction management and work linked to the development of the project. In total, the overall investment reaches 14.5 million euros to build and launch the Aragon Emergency Center.
A BUILDING COVERING MORE THAN 5,000 SQUARE METERS
The property, located on Isabel de Santo Domingo Street in Zaragoza, is mainly organized around the ground floor, which covers 4,920 square meters, while the upper floors have an area of 980 square meters on the first floor and 397 square meters on the second. This layout allows smoother and more direct movement inside the building, facilitating access to and use of the facilities by all operational services without creating physical obstacles.
In the past, this building was divided into large spaces of more than 500 m². However, the new Emergency Center will operate mainly through offices and meeting rooms ranging from 15 to 150 m². This new layout will promote more efficient use of climate-control systems, helping to reduce energy consumption.
The reorganization of the interior space incorporates green courtyards that structure the facilities into functional modules, grouping offices according to the different emergency response teams, as well as training and meeting rooms, services and locker rooms. The courtyards allow natural light and cross-ventilation, improving working conditions throughout the building. Solar panels have also been installed on the roof which, while not making the building self-sufficient, will provide a high degree of energy autonomy.
