East Thuringia control center association presses for full reimbursement of control center fees

On July 15, the newly founded East Thuringia control center network came together for a working meeting at the disaster control camp of the South Fire Station of the Jena professional fire department. In addition to the independent cities of Gera and Jena, the regional authorities organized in the control centre network include the districts of Altenburger Land, Greiz, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, the Saale-Holzland district, the Saale-Orla district and, until a later migration to the Central Thuringia control centre, the city of Weimar.

The discussion focused on the progress of the project to establish a joint control center at the two locations in Jena and Gera, the status of negotiations with the health insurance companies on control center fees and the current challenges in the course of connecting the control centers of the Saale-Orla district to Gera and Saalfeld-Rudolstadt to Jena.

Jena's head of security, Benjamin Koppe, outlines the main results of the consultation: "The regional control centers in Jena and Gera have their sights firmly set on the goals of the overall project. We will continue to drive forward the exchange of data and the communicative linking of both locations, establish uniform control center technology and strive for mutual redundancy of our systems by the next possible date."

According to Koppe, it is also clear to everyone involved that this is a mammoth project that is well advanced and in the hot phase of implementation.

Gera's mayor Kurt Dannenberg adds: "A further implementation step is the construction of a new emergency response center based on the Jena model with an integrated control center. A feasibility study will examine the necessary requirements for this. The emergency control center planned by the Free State of Thuringia for basic and advanced training is also to be located in the planned emergency response center. The state government's commitment to optimizing the structure of all Thuringian control centres encourages us to continue on the path we have taken in Eastern Thuringia."

Both department heads, who are responsible for the city's finances in their respective departments, are also pushing for the full reimbursement of control center fees by the health insurance companies.

"Currently, the costs incurred by the control centers for the rescue service are not covered by the health insurance companies," says Kurt Dannenberg. "By optimizing our structures, we are more efficient and economical in Eastern Thuringia. All local authorities involved in the joint control center project have clear expectations of the cost bearers," adds Benjamin Koppe. The health insurance companies are the payers of the rescue service and are obliged under the Thuringian Rescue Service Act to refinance the proportion of control center costs attributable to the rescue service to cover costs.

In addition to district administrators Marko Wolfram and Uwe Melzer, Thuringia's Minister of the Interior Georg Maier also took part in the consultation on the control center network, who was able to see the progress of the project for himself and fully supports the commitment of East Thuringia.