TEXAS COMMISSION ON FIRE PROTECTION
TEXAS COMMISSION ON FIRE PROTECTION. The Texas Commission on Fire Protection, established by the Texas legislature in October 1991, consolidated four state agencies that focus on fire protection: the Texas State Fire Marshall's Office, which was a division of the Texas Department of Insurance; the Commission on Fire Protection Personnel Standards and Education; the Town Rating System, formerly of the Texas Department of Insurance; and the Fire Department Emergency Board, which was an adjunct to the State Fire Marshall's Office. The office of the Texas State Fire Marshall began in 1910, and until 1975 the Commissioner of Insurance or a member of the State Board of Insurance served as state fire marshall. In 1975 the legislature required the appointment of a state fire marshall who would be a state commissioned officer and who would administer, enforce, and carry out provisions of the Texas Insurance Code and other state statutes. The Commission on Fire Protection Personnel Standards and Education, established in 1969, was composed of eleven members, including the commissioner of the Texas Education Agency, the commissioner of higher education, and nine citizens appointed by the governor with concurrence of the Senate for six-year overlapping terms. An executive director, appointed by the commission, was the chief administrative officer. Beginning operations in March 1970 the commission certified fire protection training and education programs as having provided for minimum standards, certified qualified instructors, directed research in the field of protection, and recommended curricula for advanced courses and seminars in fire science training in colleges and institutions of higher education. In 1992 the legislature required the commission to appoint a paid fire department training officer to the Firemen's Training School Advisory Board. The Standards and Licensing Division, one of five departments in the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, was formed by merging the Texas Commission on Fire Protection Personnel Standards and Education with the Licensing Section of the State Fire Marshall's Office. Its responsibilities include certifying paid and volunteer fire fighters, aircraft crash and rescue personnel, and fire investigators and inspectors. The State Fire Marshall heads the Field Operations/Enforcement Division, which has seven regional offices to investigate fires and assist in the prosecution of suspected arsonists. Operations personnel inspect public buildings for fire hazards and enforce rules governing fire protection products, such as fire alarms and extinguishers. The Engineering Division inspects cities, communities, and rural fire prevention districts to determine fire protection capabilities; the division also evaluates cities and communities according to standards in the Key Rate Schedule in order to recommend fire insurance key rates to the Texas Department of Insurance. The Information Resources Division functions as a liaison with other agencies, both federal and state, and coordinates general information. The Administration Division provides agency and program support.
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.Handbook of Texas Online, Richard Allen Burns, "Texas Commission On Fire Protection," accessed March 25, 2017, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mdtgz.
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