Official says fiscal crisis for state 911 system can be alleviated
While the director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management System is sounding the alarm that the state’s 911 system is in fiscal peril, one local 911 official said that there are some simple fixes that could help alleviate the problem.
Fayette County Emergency Management Director Guy Napolillo said that while he agrees with PEMA Director Glenn Cannon’s assessment of the financial problems associated with running the county-by-county 911 system, there are ways that lawmakers can help lessen the fiscal burden on counties and keep emergency services running optimally.
“We’ve been working with and looking at consolidating some of the expenses, but the reality is we are not bringing in the revenue that we should be bringing in from the fees that are being collected,” Napolillo said. “We need to increase our fees and change some laws to establish proper and fair distribution of funds.”.