Infoca professionals employed by EMA Infoca have received the first payment of a new operational experience and professional development allowance for emergency management, which is intended to compensate for the former seniority allowance. The payment was made through a corrective payroll and covers January through August 2026, inclusive. The first component is due to be paid monthly from the September payroll, according to Antonio Sanz, the Andalusian government’s first vice-president and minister for the presidency, health and emergencies.
Sanz said the allowance, for which €5.4 million has been allocated, was agreed with worker representatives to offset the loss of the former seniority allowance. He said the 2008 Infoca agreement had removed that allowance and that the new measure recognises workers’ experience. The allowance is being introduced in stages and has two components: the first, for operational experience and professional development, is being paid now; the second, linked to performance evaluation, is scheduled to begin in 2027 and will be paid annually.
Sanz announced the payments during the opening visit to EMA Infoca’s new Forest Defence Subcentre in Laujar de Andarax, in Almería province. The project cost €352,000, with 80% co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. It involved renovating and expanding an existing building and created 422 square metres of built space. The site includes facilities for training, physical preparation and equipment maintenance, as well as a kitchen, dining room, changing rooms and a hangar for heavy vehicles. Six firefighting groups, totalling 42 people, will be stationed there on rotating shifts, along with the crews of two fire engines. The base is expected to serve 50 professionals and two fire engines in total.
Sanz said the base would strengthen protection for the Sierra Nevada Natural Area and the Sierra de Gádor. It complements the existing Forest Defence Centre in Alhama de Almería. He said EMA Infoca infrastructure investment since 2020 totals €165.4 million, and that 14 new subcentres had opened in Andalusia over the past two legislative terms, through refurbishment and new construction, with a budget of nearly €8 million.
The regional government says EMA Infoca has nearly 5,000 professionals this season and 108 heavy firefighting vehicles, including 91 renewed vehicles. It has also tendered 42 new off-road vehicles for €1.47 million. The season’s aerial resources total 43 aircraft, three more than last year. Sanz also cited contracts for aerial resources worth €145.6 million and a new heavy machinery unit, with an investment of €1.8 million.