Liberec ambulance is preparing to build a new operations center

```html Liberec - The Medical Rescue Service of the Liberec Region is preparing to build a new operations center. The project, costing nearly 47 million crowns, has received a grant from European funds. However, the grant will not cover all costs; there is a co-financing requirement of about 15 million crowns, and it is not yet clear who will pay for it. The ambulance service does not have the funds, so it must wait for the newly elected regional representation's stance on the project. Stanislav Mackovík, the director of the rescue service, informed CTK about this today.
     The rescue service is based in Liberec in two villas near the Liberec hospital, and it has another station at the airport. The villas have undergone renovations in recent years, but the operations center no longer meets current needs - it is small and incompatible with other operational systems. In the event of a collapse, dispatchers in Ústí nad Labem or Prague cannot take over the service. This proved to be a significant weakness last July when a ball lightning struck the center, damaging computers and disabling the information system. "Ambulances had to be directed by dispatchers using mobile phones like 15 years ago," Mackovík stated.
     The rescue service wanted to build the new center along with garages at the helicopter base at Liberec Airport, but that would require a change in the zoning plan, which will take more than a year. Waiting that long is not feasible, so the management chose another option - to build the new operations center from the former Neli restaurant in the Liberec hospital complex. The region has already announced a public competition for the renovation contractor. The costs are estimated at 22.5 million crowns, and the deadline for submitting bids ends on November 19. "If it is not clear how the project will be financed, I will not sign any contract with the contractor," Mackovík said.
     The grant from the integrated operational program is primarily intended for outfitting the new operations center, with just under four million going to construction modifications; the rest should be covered by the region. If co-financing is not secured, the grant will be lost. "The main goal is for us to be compatible, to be able to communicate with any other ambulance service. If our dispatch center burns down, dispatchers in Ústí or Prague can take over its role, but with the technology we have today, that is not possible," Mackovík explained.
     According to Mackovík, the rescue service must build the new dispatch center within three years. County firefighters and police are also building operations centers. In the future, it should enable better communication and information sharing among the integrated rescue system components. ```