86R25679 JGH-D
By: Guillen H.R. No. 1253
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The insurance company VFIS, a division of Glatfelter
Insurance Group, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019; and
WHEREAS, In the late 1960s, insurance executive Arthur
J. Glatfelter recognized a need in the emergency service sector for
specialized insurance coverage, so in 1969 he established Volunteer
Firemen's Insurance Services, Inc., in Pennsylvania; during the
company's early years, he visited hundreds of fire service
organizations in order to learn their concerns; and
WHEREAS, Known today as VFIS, the company has become one of
the nation's leading providers of insurance, education, training,
and consulting services for emergency service organizations; it is
also a member of Glatfelter Program Managers, a group that offers
similar services to other governmental and nonprofit institutions;
and
WHEREAS, VFIS issued its first policies in Texas in 1976, and
today it insures more than 1,500 nonprofit emergency service
organizations in the Lone Star State, including volunteer fire
departments and ambulance and rescue squads; through the years, the
company has paid thousands of claims, playing a vital role in the
aftermath of natural disasters such as Hurricanes Rita, Ike, and
Harvey, as well as the 2013 fertilizer plant explosion in West; and
WHEREAS, For half a century, VFIS has helped to ensure
greater financial security for the emergency responders who risk
their own safety to preserve the lives and property of the public,
and it is indeed fitting to recognize the company as it marks this
milestone year in its history; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of VFIS and
extend to all those associated with the company sincere best wishes
for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for VFIS as an expression of high regard by the Texas House
of Representatives.