Quakertown staff say new Safe2Say timelines strain weekend response; district outlines workaround

Doctor Hoffman told the committee that changes to the 800-level policies reflect new state timelines: the district must now close life-safety tagged incidents in the Safe2Say system within 48 hours and resolve non-life-safety incidents within 30 days.

He said Quakertown is a high-use Safe2Say responder and that the district has very few false reports, but the 48-hour rule presents operational difficulty when tips arrive outside normal business hours and the district must wait for responses from state police or other partners.

"If you receive a call overnight on Friday, it's difficult to have everything buttoned up by Monday to close it out," Doctor Hoffman said. He described a practical approach used by the district: enter required steps and mark the incident closed in the state system while adding an internal note (for example, "ongoing in district") that staff update later once follow-up information arrives.

Committee members asked whether closing out in that manner constitutes a loophole; Doctor Hoffman described the detailed steps required by the state system (actions taken, final outcome, then mark closed) and said the district is staying compliant while managing cases that require ongoing local follow-up. He noted the attorney general's office can post noncompliant districts on a public list, so the district is working to avoid that outcome.

The committee also reviewed training and continuing-education requirements under 805.2 for Act 44 coordinators, including an annual attendance report due by June 30 and expanded mandatory training.