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A Texas Advisory Council on Arson Committee - State Fire Marshal's Association

A little history about ATAC (A Texas Advisory Council on Arson Committee). About three years ago, ATAC was transitioned from a standalone committee to the Texas Fire Marshal’s Association (TXFMA) as a subcommittee in an attempt to reach a greater audience as we combat arson. Since its inception in the late 1980’s, ATAC has been the State’s lead committee that distributes informational posters to local jurisdictions and assists in providing reward monies to confidential arson informants. ATAC’s main source of income all these years has been through donations from the insurance companies in Texas. 

The Mission for ATAC is: To Provide a broad-based resource drawn from the public and private sectors to serve the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the Texas Department of Insurance and the public of the State of Texas. 

The primary duties: It shall be the duty of this committee to meet and communicate as often as needed in order to: Support the stated purposes of the TXFMA; Improve coordination and cooperation among fire departments, law enforcement agencies, insurance industry representatives, and other directly interested in fire and arson prevention; Contribute to knowledge about the control, detection, and prosecution of arson; Provide for the exchange of technical information and new developments about arson; Review laws and legislative proposal regarding arson and provide information relative to them as needed; Encourage high standards of professional conduct among fire and arson investigators; Communicate to the public the extent, severity, seriousness, and consequences of arson; and, Maintain the Arson Hotline Reward Program.