Orcera definitively approves its Local Civil Protection Volunteer Group

The Orcera City Council has definitively approved the creation of the Local Civil Protection Volunteer Group and its Organization and Operation Regulations, after the public information process concluded without claims or suggestions. The agreement was adopted unanimously by the municipal Plenary in an ordinary session on July 22, 2026, and was automatically elevated to definitive status. The full text is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Jaén, number 182, dated September 18, 2026, under reference 2026/4337 (pages 13901 to 13905).

A file without allegations

File 510/2026, corresponding to item number 6 of the agenda, was submitted for public information and hearing of interested parties for thirty business days, in accordance with article 49.c) of Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime. The announcement of initial approval was published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Jaén, number 145, dated July 29, 2026 (announcement 2026/3637), and remained posted on the Notice Board and the municipal Electronic Office between July 29 and September 10, 2026.

As no claims were filed, the plenary agreement was elevated to definitive status without the need for a new pronouncement by the Plenary. The file incorporates the Justification Report, which details the geographical peculiarities—the municipality’s location within the Natural Park—, demographic, and climatological factors that justify the service, as well as the Legality Report from the City Council Secretariat and the Audit Report from the Municipal Comptroller, which certifies adequate and sufficient credit for the mandatory insurance policies.

An auxiliary, collaborative, and non-police service

The Regulations define the Group as a voluntary, altruistic, and free organization, lacking its own legal personality, constituted as an auxiliary and collaborative public service of the municipal Administration under the superior leadership and dependency of the Mayor-President. Its ordinary territorial scope is the municipal district of Orcera, although its members may intervene outside of it through inter-municipal collaboration agreements or at the request of the emergency coordination bodies of the Regional Government of Andalusia (112) or the Provincial Council of Jaén, subject to prior authorization from the Mayor’s Office.

The requirements for admission as an active volunteer are:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Preferably reside in the municipality of Orcera or in the region of the Sierra de Segura.
• Not be disqualified from exercising public functions by a final judgment.
• Prove psychophysical fitness through a responsible declaration or medical certificate.
• Sign the incorporation document and the commitment to comply with the Regulations.

Admitted applicants acquire the status of “Trainee Volunteers” until they complete the mandatory training. Their rights include free basic and continuous training, uniforms and approved personal protective equipment, an accident and civil liability insurance policy funded by the municipal budget, and compensation for subsistence and travel expenses during exceptional operations outside the municipality.

Command, training, and disciplinary regime

The command structure is organized into three levels:

• The Superior Command, which corresponds to the Mayor or the Councilor Delegated in matters of security and civil protection.
• The Group Command, exercised by the person appointed directly by the Mayor’s Office and the highest operational officer.
• The Team Commands, volunteers designated to lead the areas of Prevention, Logistics, Lifeguarding and First Aid, and Communications.

No volunteer may be a full member or participate in operational deployments without first passing the Basic Civil Protection Course taught or approved by the Institute of Emergencies and Public Safety of Andalusia (IESPA) or the Provincial Council of Jaén, in accordance with Decree 159/2016 of the Regional Government of Andalusia. The Regulations also provide for distinctions—honorable mentions, diplomas, longevity medals, and commendations in the Plenary—and a sanctioning regime with minor, serious, and very serious infractions, which may lead to definitive expulsion for serious insubordination, abandonment of service during emergencies, or improper use of uniforms and emblems.

Entry into force and appeals processes

The Regulations shall not enter into force until fifteen business days have elapsed since the receipt of the communication of the agreement and the text by the State Administration and the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, pursuant to Article 65.2 of Law 7/1985. The agreement empowers the Mayor’s Office to request the registration of the entity in the Registry of Groups of the Junta de Andalucía. Against the agreement and the articulated text, which exhaust administrative remedies, interested parties may file a contentious-administrative appeal before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Andalusia, based in Granada, within two months from the day following the publication of the announcement. The announcement appears signed in Orcera, on September 10, 2026, by the Mayor-President, Juan Francisco Fernández López.

The creation of this Group provides Orcera with its own volunteering mechanism for risk prevention and emergency response, with insurance coverage and approved training provided by the City Council, in a municipality of marked rural character located within the Sierra de Segura Natural Park.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Jaén, No. 182, of September 18, 2026, Local Administration, pp. 13901-13905 (official reference: 2026/4337).