OCEAN CITY - During a week when 14,000 firefighters are attending their annual convention at the beach, leaders of the Maryland State Firemen's Association have spent most of their time putting down rumors that a new set of state health and safety rules could bankrupt small volunteer companies.

The new requirements for paid and volunteer firefighters and for emergency medical workers, which could cost $15 million to $20 million to implement, won't take effect until state officials figure out how to pay for the extensive medical examinations and new safety standards, MSFA officers said this week.

But packets mailed last month to nearly 300 fire departments apparently confused some volunteers at small rural companies, which often struggle to meet growing financial demands, particularly the high costs of new equipment.

The 18-page document - developed over the past three years by the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation and by a committee of firefighters, fire chiefs and representatives of paid firefighters from Baltimore and Washington - includes standards for equipment, on-scene tactics, fitness training and even a substance-abuse program.

Provisions for medical examinations - which would require cholesterol and cancer screening, blood work and annual stress tests among other medical procedures - prompted a flurry of calls in recent days from some rural volunteer companies, said MSFA President Charles "Jenks" Mattingly.

"We absolutely will not sign off or endorse this document unless the state provides funding," Mattingly said. "We see a need for physicals - heart attacks are the No. 1 killer of firefighters - but at the same time, it would just cost too much. Even the larger urban counties would have a tough time paying for this."

On Friday, state officials tried to soothe what DLLR spokeswoman Karen Napolitano called a "misunderstanding." They mailed letters explaining the new standards to all professional and volunteer departments.

"We're in support of the total package, provided the funding is there," said Gene Worthington, a volunteer from Level in Harford County and first vice president of the firefighters association. "It provides standards for training and equipment, too. There was never any intent to put anybody out of business."