Mercer County 911 dispatchers now must call ambulances by phone to alert them of emergencies.

When a radio upgrade is completed, dispatchers can talk to ambulances on a common radio frequency, said Russell Saylor, deputy director of public safety.

Mercer County commissioners Thursday approved an agreement with EMMCO West, the Meadville-based agency which oversees ambulance service in Mercer County. Under the agreement, the county will receive a $360,000 state Department of Health grant to upgrade radio dispatching for ambulances.

"Ambulance calls in Mercer County are a problem," Saylor said. The upgrade, which is still in the planning stage, aims to improve communications between 911 dispatchers and ambulances.

"It's not just ambulances," county Commissioner Olivia M. Lazor said.

A study showed it would cost $1.5 million to $2 million to correct other emergency communication problems in the county, she said. "If we do this incrementally, we can get to the goal of better communications countywide," she said.

Emergency services in the north half of the county are on a high level frequency, while those in the southern part of the county use a low level frequency, Commissioner Cloyd E. "Gene" Brenneman said.

However, bringing all police, firefighters and ambulances to upper tier frequencies will be expensive, Brenneman said.

Volunteer fire departments will need to buy new portable radios for firefighters to use the high level frequencies, Saylor said.