LIVERMORE FALLS – Selectmen voted Monday to enact two policies for the Fire Department, Chairwoman Louise Chabot said Tuesday.

One requires all officers to be certified and to have completed mandatory state and federal training, and the other prohibits firefighters from belonging to another fire department.

Selectmen were made aware of potential liability issues regarding some officers who may not have completed mandatory federal and state training and are therefore not certified, Chabot said.

There are some towns in Maine that are currently in litigation after being investigated by the Office of the State Fire Marshal and found to be out of compliance, Chabot said. The board decided to be proactive in this matter and require certification and training.

The board also adopted a policy that states: “Members of the Livermore Falls Fire Department must belong to only one department due to the cost of training and maintaining certification. We feel it is in the best interest of the town to be a member of one department.”

Fire Chief Marvin Parker said he is trying to make the best decision for the town to take the department into the future. He did not propose any policies to selectmen, he said, but is looking out for town costs. Training is expensive, he said.

“I feel there could be a conflict of interest belonging to more than one department. That’s how I feel,” Parker said Tuesday.

The new policy affects one firefighter now, he said.

In regard to the policy on certification, Parker said in today’s society when firefighters go to a fire or accident and something goes wrong, insurance companies are suing the towns.

“The lawyers are coming after fire departments,” Parker said.

For example, if one of the hoses blows, the insurance company wants to see the certification of that hose.

If insurance companies consider too much property damage is done while firefighters are trying to get at fires to put them out, they are suing, he said.

“They are suing and are winning against towns,” Parker said.

“The state and federal government keep putting more mandatory training in place for firefighters and departments,” he said. “Every town is strapped. Money is an issue.”

Another concern, Parker said, is the potential for the town to be sued if something happens to an accident victim while firefighters are trying to free that person from a vehicle.

He plans to develop certification requirements for officers and to review them with the entire department and selectmen.

There are currently 31 on-call firefighters on the regular roster, three substitutes and three or four people on a waiting list and he appreciates their dedication, he said. “We have an excellent department,” Parker said.