A basic firefighter should be able to attack a burning building, search for and evacuate victims, use ladders and open up a roof, and remove noxious gases from a building, according to a final National Fire Protection Association performance exam.

Cities and towns with full-time career firefighters have their own standards, but Maine state law requires no licensing, certification or continued education, said Cam Martin, assistant fire chief for Auburn.

“We rely on our firefighters to arrive with a level 1 or level 2 certification and an emergency medical technician license,” said Martin. “Our training budget is extremely limited. We don’t even have a training officer.”

For the smaller volunteer departments that rely on local residents who already have other full-time jobs, the training has to occur on the job.

Several area volunteer fire departments, which routinely work together when they respond to fires and emergencies, decided that they could meet their training needs more efficiently with that same spirit of cooperation.

“The area chiefs all meet once a month,” said Paris Fire Chief Brad Frost. “Training was a big issue for us.”

The state’s Bureau of Labor requires only that fire department personnel have training “commensurate with their duties,” said Edward Mark, deputy administrator for the Maine Fire Training and Education Agency, which operates under the state community college system and matches instructors and courses with individual fire department needs.

“The bureau depends on the fire chiefs to understand the ramification of whatever that requirement means,” said Mark. “Statewide, there’s never been an impetus to provide training. The local chiefs hold a lot of responsibility in their hands.”

The most recognized standards for different levels of firefighters come from the National Fire Protection Association, said Mark.

The local chiefs from Paris, Norway, Oxford, Otisfield, Poland, Raymond, Mechanic Falls, Minot and Casco have combined resources to get their new volunteers up to speed with standardized training, Frost said.

The nine departments pooled their finances, in-house certified instructors, and equipment to offer a series of eight weekend-long training sessions geared toward certifying each new volunteer as a level 1 firefighter, said Poland Fire and Rescue Department Chief Willie Rice.

“Regionalization is something that a lot of people in government talk about now,” said John Hawley, deputy fire chief in Mechanic Falls. “But fire departments have been doing that for a long, long time. Without mutual aide, no one department could survive.”

Hawley referred to the inter-town practice of mutual aide, which triggers emergency fire responses from all towns within and bordering Androscoggin County.

Hawley, one of the training instructors, added that neighboring fire departments have expanded that cooperation to include personnel training and even equipment inventory.

Mark Bosse, a training instructor and a Poland Fire and Rescue Department captain, touted the advantage of training firefighters with the same standards but a variety of instructors and expertise.

“The other thing that’s really great about this is that we’re all getting to know each other, and it’s something that’s spreading,” said Bosse. “The fire chiefs are supporting us and getting us fired up.”

Between 24 and 36 volunteer firefighters are participating in the sessions that began in late September with instruction on dealing with hazardous materials. Sessions will run through January and culminate with an actual fire.

The training sessions, called modules by the professionals, generally start with a half-day of classroom instruction on Saturdays, and are followed by a day and a half of hands-on training.

New volunteers trained this past weekend in Paris with proper handling of ground and truck ladders. Teams raced to put on their protective clothing, strap on their air tanks, and collectively handle ladders capable of going several stories high.

“I love these classes,” said James McCarver, a new Poland volunteer with no prior experience. “It can be exhausting sometimes, but I want to learn all I can.”

Rice said that he hoped all the volunteers who finish the series of training sessions will be able to receive some type of recognized certification. Mark said his agency would be willing to review all training documentation and conduct the final written and performance tests.