Lolina Negrín announces permanent island emergency coordination centre before year-end

The councillor for Security and Emergencies says the Island Operational Coordination Centre will provide a permanent service, seven days a week and 24 hours a day, to handle and channel incidents across Fuerteventura. The centre will coordinate responses involving emergencies, roads, the environment and other public services without the Island Emergency Plan, PEIN, having to be activated first.

Fuerteventura’s Island Operational Coordination Centre (CECOPIN) will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, before the end of 2026. Lolina Negrín, the Fuerteventura Island Council’s councillor for Security and Emergencies, announced the plan in an interview with La Voz de Fuerteventura. She said the service would centralise and channel incidents on the island, even when no emergency had been formally declared.

The main change will be the centre’s permanent operation. Negrín said it currently becomes active when the Island Emergency Plan is activated, while the new model will keep coordination running throughout the year.

“Soon, I hope within a month at most — I don’t like giving deadlines because the administration never meets them,” the councillor said. She later said the permanent service would be up and running before the end of the year.

A centre to coordinate incidents across Fuerteventura

CECOPIN will operate as a communications hub, receiving alerts and forwarding them to the services responsible, both those run by the Fuerteventura Island Council and those belonging to the various town councils.

Its work will not be limited to exceptional situations such as storms, heavy rain or other civil protection emergencies. It will also coordinate incidents involving road conditions, the environment and any other circumstances requiring public services to intervene.

Negrín said that when a report comes in, the centre will identify which organisation needs to respond and pass it on to the relevant service, even if the matter does not fall directly under the island’s remit.

The councillor stressed that 112 will remain the public’s main point of contact, with calls requiring action from island or municipal services able to be referred to CECOPIN.

The head of Security and Emergencies said the expanded service would provide a permanent coordination structure, without having to wait for an emergency plan to be activated before mobilising the resources needed to deal with routine incidents.

A fourth fire crew to strengthen safety

Making CECOPIN a permanent service is part of the measures the Fuerteventura Island Council is taking to strengthen security and emergency services.

Among the steps taken during the current term, Negrín highlighted the introduction of a fourth fire service shift, adding a crew leader and three firefighters to the existing team.

Until then, the service had three shifts, a structure that meant overtime had to be used more frequently to ensure incidents were covered.

Negrín particularly praised the work of emergency professionals and recalled the recognition given to the firefighters who took part in the response to the DANA floods in Valencia.

Municipal emergency plans progress across the island

The councillor also highlighted the status of municipal emergency plans. These documents identify the risks in each locality, the resources available and the procedures to follow in exceptional situations.

She said Puerto del Rosario and La Oliva had already had their plans approved by the Canary Islands Government, while Pájara’s plan was awaiting regional approval.

In Tuineje and Betancuria, the plans drawn up with the Fuerteventura Island Council’s involvement have been endorsed by the respective local council chambers. In Antigua, drafting is complete, but the municipal approval process still needs to be completed.

Negrín said these plans help establish the specific characteristics of each area, identify potential obstacles to responding and determine the resources needed in an emergency.

She also stressed the importance of preparing for severe weather, particularly following the periods of rain and storms recorded in the first half of 2026.

On this, she referred to coordinated work with the Island Water Council and the Fuerteventura Island Council’s Infrastructure Department to keep ravines clear and reduce risks from potential blockages.

The councillor stressed the need to invest in prevention and staff, even though much of this work is not visible to the public until an emergency occurs.