CSIA Update

MAY 2015 REPORT

www.CSIA.org

Help finish our labor of love

Join us for Sweeps Week at the CSIA Technology Center in June; help us finish the bake oven!
PLAINFIELD, Indiana -- Summer
2015 may finally be the time
when the Chimney Safety
Institute of America can take
the wraps off its combination
outdoor fireplace/stone-arched
bake oven, a mix of granite
Chris Prior
trucked in from upstate New
York that is enveloped in a brick with Flemish
Bond pattern plus English corners. This 8-foothigh labor of love is usually covered in blue
tarp and protective plastic, since it is partially
operational, but not fully weather protected.
Work on the project began during Sweeps
Week 2012 and has continued each June, a
week at a time. The fourth and possibly final
touches will occur this summer. It will be a
showpiece for generations to come, I think,
of what true masonry art can be, said David
Kline, a Greer, South Carolina-based chimney
sweep who has had a hand in the structure
each of its three years. The idea behind
this was to have an example of the perfect
fireplace and the ideal bake oven, you know,
kind of top-quality masonry, and we want to
make sure it turns out really well and is a good
example of what
can be done with
a fireplace, what
can be done with a
bake oven. Ashley
H. Eldridge, Director
of Education for
CSIA, said the oven/
fireplace timetable
was footing and
Some of the scenes from the
foundation in year 2014 Sweeps Week at CSIA.
one, concrete blocklaying in year two (along with a bonus of being
able to use the oven to eat homemade pizza led
by Renee Brigmans kitchen crew), and in Year
3, building arch forms, finishing the bake oven
with the stone facing, cladding the veneer, and

beginning to build
the chimney. You can
take part in one day
or one week the CSIA
Technology Center
doing volunteer
maintenance
projects and learning
from one another.
You get CEUs each
day you are here.
And a nifty shirt. All
invited regardless
of affiliation or nonaffiliation. Call (864)
682-5422 for more
They are coming - will you join them? Ron Brigman (left), Chris Prior (middle) and
info.
David Kline work on the brick exterior of the outdoor bake oven/fireplace on the

Veteran mason Chris back patio of the CSIA Technology Center in June 2014. The three-year labor of
Prior, of Adirondack
love is still unfinished, and you can pick up plenty of pointers regarding masonry
Chimney Company,
and venting June 8-12! Call (864) 682-5422 for more info.
Inc in Middle Grove,
suburb of Indianapolis. Indiana, home of
New York, has led the effort since its inception,
world-renown limestone, can boast of this
leading a group of all volunteers whose roles
import -- a beautiful granite with beige and
and availability vary each day. Before you
green tones that have clear formation levels,
start, you have to have a vision of what its
unlike the more homogenized type seen in
going to look like, and work backwards, says
far northeastern U.S. We expect this to be
Prior. You have to think fourth-dimensionally.
finished in year 4, but there is a lot we still
You have to see the bridge
want to do, said Eldridge.
and then you start in
The goals for June 2015 are
reverse. We dug a hole
to: apply stonework on the
and started out that way.
fireplace face side; stucco
It was designed to be built
inside of the wood storage
incrementally, as it gives
area; stucco the back side of
participants an opportunity
the; structure; and form and
to learn different techniques
pour a crown on its top, with
involved in masonry and
an overhanging drip edge.
masonry repair.
Be there or be square,
The stonework, inlaid
said Prior. Join us at Sweeps
against the brick, is perhaps
Week June 8-12, 2015, 2155
its most striking feature. Prior hauled 2-1/4
Commercial Drive, Plainfield, IN. Bricklaying,
tons of Garnet (the New York state stone)
mortar mixing, welding, and arch design are all
in his truck from New York to Plainfield, a
covered during this Sweeps Week project.
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MAY 2015 REPORT

www.CSIA.org

CSIA tops 1,550 mark in CCS

New CSIA
Certified
Chimney
Sweeps
Alabama
Heath Burr | Heath Chimney
Services |Oxford
California
David Daughtry and Ashley
Seiter | Fire Tech Chimney
Specialists|Lone Pine
Georgia
Jonathan Oliver and Kent
Thornton|The Chimney
Smith|Canton

Michigan
Home|Prineville
Lance Mitchell | Clean Sweeps & Air Duct
Cleaners of MI | Clark Lake
Pennsylvania
Luri Arreola | Advanced Chimney
Jonathan Madle | Home and Hearth
Sweep|Holland
Masonry|Perkasie
Erich Tjapkes|Straight Up Stove|Lowell
Virginia
Minnesota
Trevor Weir | Rooftop Chimney Sweeps,
Christopher Bently | Duct Doctor, Ltd | LLC|Alexandria
New Richland
Kyle Hopkins | Rustys Fire Place &
Chimney|Hamilton
Montana
Christopher Monfreda | Rustys Fire Place &
Andy Mudd | Pro-Vac Chimney Sweeps
Chimney|Hamilton
LLC| Bozeman
Washington
Jonathan Laine|Sound Chimney
New York
Daniel Clark | F.J.M. Chimney | Campbell Service|Vashon
Hall
Wisconsin
Andrew Lemar and John Doan | 4 Seasons
North Carolina
Professional Chimney Service | Salem
Jarrel Heyward | All Out Chimney
Dalton Nelson | Chimney Mechanix LLC |
Sweep|Charlotte
Shawano
Kurt Wendt | Merrill Sheet Metal | Merrill
Ohio

Illinois
Nick Hogan | Superior Chimney
Services, Corp|Lombard
Steve Zuercher|Coalway LLC |Apple
Danny Edmonds and Robert
Evans | Superior Chimney Services, Creek
Corp|Elmhurst
Artur Zuber | Coast to Coast Masonry
Group, Inc. | Chicago
Timothy Foster | Tims Chimney
Sweep|Carbondale
Indiana
Andrew Thomas and Shawn
Wright|SaverSystems|Richmond
Aron Holcomb | Top Hat Chimney
Sweep|Lucerne
Chad Greenfield | Old Smokeys
Fireplace and Chimney | Ashley
Shaun Senn | Coffmans Chimney
Sweeps | Floyds Knobs
Maryland
Donny Horensky | Mark & Buttons
Chimney Sweeps Inc | Owings Mills
Christopher Miller | Traditions Chimney
Sweeps|Rockville
Massachusetts
Dylan Thomson | Worcester County
Chimney and Masonry | Worcester

CSIA Certified
Chimney
Sweeps,
Renewed With
CEUs
California
Roger Craddock | Weststar Chimney Sweeps,
Inc. | Chula Vista

Students attend our 1-day CCS review/exam in

Plainfield, Indiana held March 13, 2015. CSIA
Education Director Ashley Eldridge served as the
instructor.

Mike White | Chim-Cheroo Chimney

Service, Inc. | Greenwich

Connecticut
James Smith | Pauls Chimney Cleaning &
Restoration, LLC|Monroe
Delaware
Duane Lapp|Bylers
Stove Shoppe Inc. | Dover

Oklahoma
Seth Hammer|Hammers Enterprise|
Broken Bow

Indiana
Joseph Sauter|Your
Chimney
Sweep|Indianapolis, IN

Oregon
Richard Ridenour | Sunset Hearth and

Maryland
Joshua Kelley | Magic Broom Chimney

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Steven Scally

MAY 2015 REPORT

Sweeps|Waldorf
Steve Raley | PTL Chimney &
Waterproofing Services, Inc. | Salisbury
Missouri
Eugene Padgitt and Marge
Padgitt|Hearth Masters,
Inc.|Independence

www.CSIA.org
Upcoming in-person education classes
Chimney Physics
Aug. 10-11 in Plainfield & Aug. 12-13 in Fredericksburg, MD [sponsored by Mid-Atlantic
Chimney Association]. Resolution of chimney performance issues, solving air pressure problems,

identifying the symptoms of indoor air pollutants, determining combustion air requirements for
vented appliances. CSIA CEUs: 3-T, 3-CS, 3-HS, 3-CL NFI CEUs: 4-E

CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Review & Exam

North Carolina
Jeremy Mitchell and Alex
Nolte |Chimneys Plus, Inc.|Pittsboro
Robert Priesing | Havelocks Chimney &
Venting, Inc.|Havelock

May 15 | Scranton, PA [sponsored by Olympia Chimney Supply]

New Hampshire
Steven Scally | Fireside Sweeps
LLC|Freemont

In-person intensive review sessions help candidates prepare for the exams. The review sessions are
not a substitute for advanced study. CSIA CEUs: 1.50-T, 1.50-CS, 1.50-HS, 1.50-CL NFI CEUS: 6-T

New Jersey
Richard Ridgway | Masons Chimney
Service|Mickleton

June 5 | CSIA Technology Center, Plainfield, IN

June 20 | Gaithersburg, MD [sponsored by Regional Chimney]
July 31 | CSIA Technology Center, Plainfield, IN

National Chimney Sweep Training School

June 2227 | CSIA Technology Center
August 2429 | CSIA Technology Center
Sept. 28Oct. 3 | CSIA Technology Center

New York
William Murphy | Healthy Chiimney
Boisbriand|Poughkeepsie

Fundamentals of sweeping and inspection of chimney systems, equipment operation, health and
safety considerations and step-by-step instruction in codes, clearances, standards and practices.
CCS CEUs: 4-T, 4-CS, 4-CL, 4-HS NFI CEUs: 16-T

Pennsylvania
Clint Alspaugh | Kegerreis Stoves,
Inc.|Bernville
Leo Herrmann | Leo Herrmann Fireplace
and Chimney Services, Inc. | Fairless Hills

Complete calendar: csia.org/education

New CSIA Certified Dryer
Exhaust Technicians

Texas
Jim Ray | J and J Chimney
Sweep|Amarillo
Virginia
Wayne Van Houdt | Olde Town Chimney
Sweeps|Gloucester

Connecticut
Bill Moore | W&K Property Services,
LLC|East Hartford
Missouri
Anthony Gross and Ronald
Schmidt, Jr | Hearth Masters,
Inc. |Independence
North Carolina
Thomas Simon and Joshua
Strickland|Smoke Alert|Garner
Pennsylvania
Thomas Asciolla|Drysafer
Corp.|Monroe Township

The patch
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Teaching home inspectors where

they live, in Louisiana
Here is a great photo of Chimney Safety Institute of
America Certified Chimney Sweep Kevin Russell of
New Buck Chimney Services in Frierson, Louisiana.
He is pictured with home inspectors at a seminar he
gave them in March 2015 on the importance of chimney
safety, inspections, and the value of the experienced
CSIA certified technicians.
(We gave KR some CSIA branded magnetic
smashlights to help the message stick.) As Kevin,
a CCS since 1997, tells us, They know the only
technician to direct any questions to is the CSIA
certified technician. Great job, Kevin!

Dateline: Nashville, TN

MAY 2015 REPORT

National Chimney Sweep Training School | March class

Presidents Report

A warm welcome to
the world of chimneys

CSIA HAS NEW FIRE STATISTICS;

HOW WILL YOU
USE THEM?
The latest U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission report
on residential structure fires shows that
21,200
unwanted
blazes were attribut-Mark A. Stoner
ed to fireplaces, chimneys or chimney
systems in 2012, a 4.5 percent drop from
the year before. Also, CPSC reports that
5,100 fires occurred in clothes dryers, a
22% drop from 2011. The decline in fires
illustrates that years of dedicated public-awareness efforts by the Chimney
Safety Institute of America, individual
chimney sweep companies, and industries such as insurers and firefighters,
is making a dent in the fire totals. However, we still saw a combined 29,000
fires, and thats too many. CSIA is doing
what it can to educate -- not scare -the public, so they understand the risks
involved with not having an inspection
by one of our trusted CSIA Certified
Chimney Sweeps, and/or a C-DET Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician. We are
marketing your credential, on behalf of
all 1,850 of you!
Make sure you are all taking the time
to make yourselves available to the media, and to the public at large via social
media. And make sure CSIA is aware of
your company or individual social media profile to maximize publicity. So if
you have a great blog post, make sure
CSIA marketing staff is aware of it, to
expand that reach! You can notify our
marketing/communications director,
Tom Spalding, at tspalding@csia.org.
Any questions? E-mail me at president@csia.org.

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