Healthcare at the core of urban resilience: The CES061 perspective
22nd September 2026
Among the ways ECHO enhances urban resilience is to unite Critical Infrastructure Operators with Emergency Service Providers. The below blogpost by ECHO project partner Emergency Medical Service 061 outlines their role in the ECHO Project and how they contribute to strengthening the preparedness and response of European societies for multi-hazard threats.
When a flood, wildfire, technological failure or other complex emergency affects a community, the consequences go far beyond material damage. Access to healthcare services may be disrupted, communications can fail, emergency response routes may be affected, and the number of people requiring medical assistance can rise suddenly. In this context, urban resilience also means ensuring that healthcare response can be maintained when it is needed most.
This is the perspective that the Centro de Emergencias Sanitarias 061 (CES061), representing the Andalusian Health Service, brings to the European ECHO project. Our organisation is responsible for coordinating emergency healthcare and providing on-site medical assistance to people whose lives or health may be seriously at risk. This requires a combination of clinical expertise, coordination, technology and close collaboration with hospitals, primary care services, civil protection authorities, law enforcement agencies and other emergency services.
ECHO aims to strengthen the preparedness and response of European communities for multiple threats, both natural and technological. To achieve this, the project brings together critical infrastructure operators, emergency services, public authorities, universities and technology companies. This collaboration is essential: in a real crisis, no organisation operates in isolation.
Within the project, CES061 contributes the practical experience of professionals who make healthcare decisions in situations characterised by urgency, uncertainty and rapidly evolving circumstances. Our role is to help identify the needs of emergency healthcare services and to contribute to the design and validation of solutions that are genuinely useful under real operational conditions.
From a healthcare perspective, a resilient community must be able to anticipate how a threat may affect both the demand for healthcare and the availability of resources. It must also maintain an up-to-date picture of the situation, prioritise clinical needs, mobilise the appropriate resources and preserve coordination among the different stakeholders involved. Achieving this requires reliable and timely information, shared and regularly updated procedures, and tools that support and complement — rather than replace — professional judgement.
This contribution will be particularly relevant to the Spanish ECHO pilot, which will take place in the province of Málaga with the participation of Estepona City Council. The pilot will address risks associated with floods and droughts, which are events that can affect infrastructure, communications, mobility and essential services. CES061 will help assess their potential impact on emergency healthcare response and ensure that the solutions developed within ECHO take into account the continuity of care and patient safety.
For CES061, participating in ECHO also provides an opportunity to learn alongside organisations from different countries and sectors. Sharing experiences, comparing procedures and testing complex scenarios will help turn accumulated knowledge into more coordinated and adaptable responses.
Technology is an important part of this process, but resilience begins with people and their ability to work together. Embedding the healthcare perspective from the design stage will help ensure that the tools developed by ECHO meet the needs of those working on the ground to protect the health and wellbeing of people across Europe.
