By Jason Cato, Pittsburgh Tribune Review

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Nine counties in Western Pennsylvania are joining forces to save money and offer better 911 service through an Internet-based emergency services network scheduled to be in place by late next year.

The system will be used by Armstrong, Butler, Lawrence, Fayette, Indiana, Mercer, Greene, Somerset and Westmoreland counties, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency said on Tuesday in announcing the pilot program. The system could save each county significant money as well as provide people with options such as text messaging and e-mail to contact 911.

“We will be able to share some costs that counties in the past have had to foot on their own,” said Frank Matis, Butler County’s emergency management director.

Allegheny County and Pittsburgh started their own $10 million 911 system last year.

The regional system, part of what is being called Next Generation 911, will have two or three hubs serving all of the counties, Matis said.

Butler County spends about $2.5 million a year on 911 services, he said. The total amount each county will save has not been determined.

“We are just at the beginning of the process,” Matis said.

PEMA estimated that replacing aging 911 systems in the state without shared services would cost $30.6 million, with operating costs of about $5.5 million. Investing in next-generation systems would cost about $20 million total, PEMA spokesman Cory Angell said.

“The bottom line is that because the systems are shared across counties, there are fewer systems supporting more counties,” Angell said. “This reduces the amount of systems that need to be purchased and the cost of operating and maintaining these systems.”

More counties in Western Pennsylvania could join the network when their 911 systems need to be upgraded, Matis said.