Digital control center West Thuringia starts: Future for Arnstadt!

Digital control center West Thuringia starts: Future for Arnstadt!

Gotha, Deutschland - The digital control center West Thuringia started operating on July 1, 2025 and offers a coordinated contact point for emergency calls from the ILM district and the Wartburg district. This new service will be run under the name "Feitharten West Thuringia, Arnstadt location" and remains at its location in Arnstadt. The responsible persons assure that professionalism and support for those seeking help remains fully existed, such as Insuedthueringen reported.

The project for setting up the digital control center in West Thuringia is not without challenges. The district of Gotha has decided to get out of the partnership what is regretted by the remaining partners, the Wartburg district and the Ilm district. Despite this turn, both circles want to advance the common rescue control center, while ongoing discussions with potential new partners take place. According to MDR, the withdrawal of the Gotha district has no effect on the country's control center strategy, but could impair the funding, because these are bound in partnerships.

background and challenges

Originally, a central control center in Schwabhausen was planned, which was to be put into operation in 2027. A suitable property has already been found, but high costs of around 17 million euros led to intensive discussions. Since the district of Gotha refrained from the special control center of West Thuringia, which was founded in 2020, the acquired property is now transferred to the Gotha district. However, the remaining partners are confident that the goal of a digital control center will be achieved by the end of 2026 at the latest.

The need to restructure the control centers in Thuringia is undisputed, and the country has been pursuing the goal of reducing the number of rescue control centers for several years. There are currently twelve such facilities in Thuringia, and one strives to bring them up to date with the latest and at the same time save costs. The financing is carried out by the state and the statutory health insurance companies. In the south of Thuringia, there is also a joint control center in the Südthüringen emergency services association, another sign of the efforts to increase efficiency.

Although the path in the direction of a modern and effective control center is re -peppered with hurdles, those responsible in Arnstadt and the surrounding circles are under power to master the challenges and guarantee the citizens: to guarantee reliable emergency care inside. It remains to be seen which new partners can be obtained in order to further advance the efforts to continue the digital control center.