DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The state has proposed rules that would prohibit anyone without basic training from hazardous duties when fighting fires.

About 90 percent of Iowa's 20,000 firefighters are volunteers. Officials say they want to make sure none is simply being handed a pager and some gear and then sent into hazardous situations.

``We are looking for uniformity in fire protection,'' said Clint Petersen, chairman of the State Fire Service and Emergency Response Council and chief of the Ames Fire Department. ``We are trying to raise overall training levels.''

Public hearings have been scheduled to discuss the rules proposed by the fire service council.

``We think most departments are already meeting these standards, and that they will be irrelevant, but I cannot tell you what 'most' means,'' said Randy Novak, chief of the Iowa Fire Service Training Bureau.

Matt Porter, Des Moines fire marshal and a district fire chief, said the new standards would not affect most larger departments. Des Moines requires its firefighters to be certified before they are sent into burning structures.

``Throughout the country it's generally accepted that you should at least make'' the basic certification or have equivalent training, he said.

The training bureau, in cooperation with community colleges, puts on 100 to 130 certification classes a year. Under the proposed rules, firefighters would not be required to earn a certificate, but they would be forced to get training equivalent to national standards for basic firefighting.

Less training would be required of those who work on trucks, for example, than for those who enter burning buildings.

Some say they are happy that a certificate will not be required because it could hurt recruitment efforts in a field that frequently faces personnel shortages.

``I think it scares away some who would otherwise come on,'' said Leonard Murray, chief of the Pleasant Hill Fire Department, which operates with 27 volunteers. ``Some firefighters in these towns have been doing this job for 30 years. Those folks probably know more about fire suppression than a kid who just got his certification.''

Murray supports the proposed requirements.

``There may be a lot of people out there without a lot of formal training who may be good firefighters,'' he said. ``At the same time I cannot imagine putting someone in harm's way without proper training.''

Iowa officials say they have money for basic training, but not for certification.

``We didn't want to put out an unfunded mandate,'' Novak said.

After achieving a level of proficiency, firefighters also will be required to get 24 hours of training each year.

``It would be self-policed if adopted,'' Petersen said. ``The Iowa Legislature, when it established the council, mandated that training standards be established. So this is in response to a mandate about three years ago.''

The council includes various firefighter organizations and the members of the public, who used national standards as a model, Petersen said. The group will take suggestions in public hearings and could make some modifications.

The idea is to give volunteers a chance to learn off the job.

``We have better fire prevention, construction is better, appliances are better,'' Novak, chief of the training bureau, said. ``If you don't have as many fires, the only way to maintain skills is to practice.''

Information from: The Des Moines Register