The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is the federal agency primarily responsible for administering and enforcing the criminal and regulatory provisions of the federal laws pertaining to destructive devices, explosives, and arson.
Arson is a violent crime that can result in fatalities, injuries, loss of jobs, homelessness and more. Many fires cause damages resulting in highly complex scenes for investigators to examine. ATF’s Certified Fire Investigators provide expertise and guidance to their interagency partners on fire origin and cause determinations, violent crime investigations involving arson and arson-for-profit, as well as provide subject matter expert testimony in the courtroom.
ATF’s National Center for Explosives Training and Research (NCETR) provides state-of-the-art training facilities and the unmatched expertise of advanced arson training. ATF is the only U.S. Government (USG) agency with fire and arson investigation as part of its core mission, and the programs that support that mission are now located at NCETR. ATF serves as the fire investigation and training experts for the USG. Learn more about Arson & Explosives Training Programs.
