the american civil defense association (tacda) is a member-supported, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, civil defense-focused organization founded in 1962. its primary focus is to educate its membership on emergencies, both man-made and natural disasters through various resources. the organization operates the free tacda academy and prints a periodical called "journal of civil defense". tacda also sells emergency supplies, such as dosimeters, water purification equipment, emergency rations, and mettag triage tags.