Federal agencies that have cooperated with State and local officials to improve arson investigations are the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and the United States Fire Administration (USFA). The ATF joins forces with local and State arson experts on cases where the magnitude of the crime exceeds available personnel, geographic, or jurisdictional resources. The task force approach is used. The USFA has sponsored a Federal arson task force comprised of 12 Federal agencies concerned with arson; helped establish more than 250 State and local arson task forces; sponsored an 'Arson Awareness Week;' and formed the National Fire Academy, a training facility for firefighters. USFA has also developed an Arson Information Management System to identify arson early warning patterns, design intervention strategies, and manage the investigation and prosecution of arson cases. Despite early successes, however, the Federal Government's ability to augment and fund State and local arson efforts has been significantly curtailed in recent efforts to prune the Federal budget and place responsibilities for arson investigation on State and local authorities, under whose jurisdiction this crime comes. Those involved in the effort to counter the increase in arson over the last few years recognize that the size and complexity of the problem requires intergovernmental cooperation. Legislative efforts are underway to increase the penalties for arson crimes and to formalize the Federal interagency antiarson task force, but it is expected the Reagan administration will oppose these measures.