Alūksne opens disaster management centre on eastern border

Alūksne opened a new disaster management centre on Wednesday, bringing several emergency services and interior affairs institutions under one roof, LSM reported.

The centre will house the State Fire and Rescue Service, State Police, State Border Guard, Interior Digital Centre, State Agency for Provision and Emergency Medical Service.

Its location in Alūksne, in Latvia’s eastern border region, gives the project particular importance. Closer cooperation between services involved in responding to emergencies was one of the main reasons for bringing them together, while shared infrastructure will also reduce costs, said State Fire and Rescue Service chief Martins Baltmanis.

“On the one hand, it is economically beneficial because we have infrastructure with shared utilities. Each institution does not need to consider how to maintain this infrastructure, and they can all be together in one infrastructure,” Baltmanis said.

He said the main benefit was improved working conditions for employees. The centre provides the infrastructure rescuers need both when preparing for emergency calls and when returning from incidents.

Experience from existing disaster management centres shows that employees value the improved conditions, Baltmanis said. Employee satisfaction with their work location rose from 52.5% in 2024 to 70.1% in 2026, while satisfaction with equipment and ergonomics increased from 44.5% to 60.4%.