Bedford County adopts $60,000 PEMA grant to study merging 911 centers with Blair County

The Bedford County Board of Commissioners voted Nov. 18 to accept a $60,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to fund a Public Safety Answering Point feasibility study aimed at examining a potential merger of Bedford and Blair County 911 centers.

The resolution (No. 11.18.25), read aloud to the board by Ansley Merritt of Emergency Services, authorizes the county to enter into the Statewide Interconnectivity Grant agreement under 35 Pa.C.S.§5306.1(d)(2). Commissioner Winck said the study is "100% funded through the grant and at no expense to the county." The motion to approve the resolution passed.

Why it matters: county emergency dispatch systems are being reviewed statewide for interoperability and efficiency; a feasibility study directs staff time and resources toward evaluating technical, operational and financial implications of any consolidation. The resolution states the Bedford County Department of Emergency Services, in coordination with Blair County, will administer the grant and conduct the study.

What the agreement covers: the resolution specifies the grant originates from the Statewide Interconnectivity Fund and sets administrative and performance periods in the agreement: the period of performance begins Oct. 1, 2025, and ends Dec. 31, 2026, while the agreement remains in effect until Jan. 31, 2027. The resolution text references statewide statutes governing the 911 Fund allocation.

Next steps: Emergency Services staff will coordinate with Blair County officials to undertake the feasibility study per the grant terms. The resolution does not itself mandate consolidation; it authorizes a study to assess whether merging PSAP operations is feasible and advisable.

The board adopted the resolution at its Nov. 18, 2025 meeting in Room 101 of the Bedford County Government Building.