Sweeping June 2020 VOLUME 44 #5
The Journal of Chimney and Venting Technology
Just How At Risk Are Chimney Sweeps? How EPA Burn Wise Helps You and Your Customer 3 Tips For Selling + Serving In A PostCOVID World Meet a Member: Jay Walker
3 Tips For Selling + Serving In A Post-COVID World
Just How At Risk Are Chimney Sweeps?
How EPA Burn Wise Helps You and Your Customer
Meet a Member— Jay Walker
6 21 23 26 Sweeping June 2020 Volume 44 Issue 5
Table of Contents President’s Letter 3 Sweeps Say 4 Editor’s Letter 5 Tech Q&A 12 Coach’s Corner 16 Membership Memo 28 New Members 33 Around the Tech Center 34 Classifieds 35 Darwin Award 36
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Smoke Chambers and Cast in Place Liner Installation (866) 283-8667 Ext. 706
Factory Built Fireplace Installation and Replacement (866) 283-8667 Ext. 701
Dryer Vents (866) 283-8667 Ext. 707
Gas Appliance Venting, Gas Logs and NFPA 54 (866) 283-8667 Ext. 702 Oil Appliance Venting and NFPA 31 (866) 283-8667 Ext. 703 Chimney Inspection, Documentation and NFPA 211 (Levels of Inspection) (866) 283-8667 Ext. 704
Installation and Venting of Pellet Stoves (866) 283-8667 Ext. 708 IRC and NFPA 211 (Code Questions) (866) 283-8667 Ext. 709 Customer Service and Customer Communication (866) 283-8667 Ext. 710 General Sweeping and Repair (866) 283-8667 Ext. 711
NATIONAL CHIMNEY SWEEP GUILD BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2019-2020
TECHNICAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
Masonry Fireplace Construction and Restoration (866) 283-8667 Ext. 700
Stainless Steel Liner Installation (866) 283-8667 Ext. 705
Be advised that advice given by NCSG’s Technical Advisory Council (TAC) reflects best practices of the chimney sweeping industry. However, we are unable to account for any particular type of situation since regional variations in construction practices and additional environmental, physical and geographical factors necessarily vary the level of service appropriate for a particular fireplace and/or chimney. Additionally, local laws and ordinances may govern and/ or supersede the information and any recommendations provided. Final determinations are the responsibility of a local professional with firsthand knowledge of the situation, and the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). Neither NCSG nor any member of TAC will be held liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from the use of or reliance on information provided by anyone associated with TAC. By your use of this member benefit you acknowledge acceptance of these terms.
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STAFF
Resources 2155 Commercial Drive Plainfield, IN 46168 (317) 837-1500 Fax: (317) 837-5365
Megan McMahon Executive Director mmcmahon@ncsg.org
Penny Seals Academic Coordinator pseals@ncsg.org
Annemarie Stockton Director of Communications and Marketing astockton@ncsg.org
Sara Sichting Systems and Records Coordinator ssichting@ncsg.org
Russell Dimmitt Education Director rdimmitt@ncsg.org
Tammy Bruner Program Coordinator tbruner@ncsg.org
Brittney Burton Membership & Outreach Coordinator bburton@ncsg.org
Natalie Spruell Office Coordinator nspruell@ncsg.org
Charissa Benge Mahaffey Certification Coordinator cmahaffey@ncsg.org
Kaitlyn Gonzalez Administrative Assistant kgonzalez@ncsg.org
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chimcare@hotmail.com
Vice President, At-Large Director (Appointed) Thomas Hunkele topnotchchimney@gmail.com
At-Large Director Steve Scally firesidesweeps@comcast.net
Treasurer, Region 1 Matt Mair matt@blackmoosechimney. com Secretary, Region 4 Jeff Keefer jeff@chimneycareco.com
At-Large Joe Sauter joe@yourchimneysweep.com
At-Large Director (Appointed) Gregg Boss englishsweep@att.net Supplier Representative Stuart Karanovich stuartk@saversystems.com
Region 2 Bill Thornton wissahickonvalleysweep@ yahoo.com Region 3 Ron Rust tophatswp@aol.com
COMMITTEE CHAIRS and TASK FORCES 2019 – 2020
To contact any member of the Technical Advisory Council, please call (866) 283-8667 and select the extension for the person who is best qualified to answer your question:
President, Region 5 Jasper Drengler (715) 304-8934 drengler01@gmail.com
Region 6 Jesse Peralta Bylaws Jeff Keefer 513-248-9600 info@chimneycareco.com
NFPA 211 Representative Jim Brewer (757) 523-2400 jbrewer@magic-sweep.com
Ethics Joe Sauter (317) 243-9687 joe@yourchimneysweep.com
NFPA 31 Representative John Pilger (631) 863-2460 chimneyman@aol.com
Governance Tom Hunkele (641) 774-8056 topnotchchimney@gmail.com
NFPA 54 Jim Brewer (757) 523-2400 jbrewer@magic-sweep.com
Government Affairs Jeff Keefer 513-248-9600 info@chimneycareco.com
Technical Advisory Council Steve Scally (603) 895-8746 firesidesweeps@comcast.net
International Relations John Pilger (631) 863-2460 chimneyman@aol.com
Scholarship Committee Gregg Boss (636) 391-2226 englishsweep@att.net
Membership Bob Ferrari (530) 221-3331 bob@flueseason.com
ADVERTISING RATES for Sweeping: The Journal of Chimney & Venting Technology may be obtained by contacting Malisa Minetree at (317) 815-4688 or sweepingads@me.com Layout and design by David Bruce, Red2 Design Bureau NCSG encourages industry partners to submit press releases and articles to editor David Bruce at red2designbureau@gmail.com. Submissions should contain items of interest or importance to the chimney and venting industry. Submissions should not contain direct solicitations, prices, or a call to action on the part of our readers. Submissions may contain images or artwork attached in a .jpg format. In all cases, NCSG reserves the right to edit submissions to fit space limitations, keep the release and publish at a later date, or refuse to publish the release for any reason. Neither publishing, nor refusing to publish the submission should be considered a statement of NCSG’s opinion regarding the release. NCSG further reserves the right to reject at any time any advertising determined not to be in keeping with the publication’s standards. Acceptance of advertising by Sweeping magazine does not necessarily constitute endorsement of products or services advertised. NCSG does not make any effort to review or substantiate claims made by advertisers. © 2020 National Chimney Sweep Guild, 2155 Commercial Drive, Plainfield, IN 46168. (317) 837-1500
President’s Letter
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his month’s topic is safety. It doesn’t matter how much money we make if we don’t make it home at the end of the day or live long enough to retire. To be honest, I’m not a safety guru. I have taken unnecessary chances in the name of money or even excitement. I own a motorcycle, snowmobile and many fast cars. I also have the super power of being able to collect speeding tickets with ease. As my business grows and my children get older, I have definitely improved my dare-
devil approach to life. You won’t find me unharnessed on roofs as much or trying to roll over cars at the local “Eve of Destruction” anymore. I always use knee pads and masks, and I don’t test head and neck restraints by driving cars into concrete walls anymore. I do try to set an example of being safe to my employees because I want them to go home every night to their loved ones. I also have started to notice I don’t bounce and bend like I did 20 years ago. There will always be some risk in our
trade. The secret is to constantly train and think ahead of what could happen. Make sure to plan your rooftop excursions. Protect your lungs and skin. Wear knee pads, hearing protection, helmets and glasses whenever needed. We can do simple things to stay healthy longer and be here for those who love us. I know I’m a bit of a hypocrite and I need to do better when I’m out working. When it comes to racing I have all the best safety gear. I’ve crashed more cars than imaginable, I’ve
Jasper Drengler Presidnet
been on fire and rolled over yet I’ve always walked away. I need to set up my work habits as I’m sure many other sweeps do too. Have a great day, be safe and profitable,
Jasper Drengler NCSG President
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Sweeps Say
What game-changing safety measures has your company taken to protect your employees?
“Started wearing the safety helmets full time. Keeps you from hitting your head when sweeping, keeps you from sticking a nail in your head in attics and offers protection from falls when climbing.” - Richard Allen, Allen’s Chimney Sweep Service
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“Wearing safety helmets full time and buying safety work platforms from Snaplok for better footing on steep roofs.” - Braxton Hill, Turn of the Century Chimney Sweep, LLC “Learning to use ropes and proper fall protection is critical. Couldn’t agree more on the climbing helmets. Many fatal falls would have been survivable if the head had been protected.” - Russ Dimmitt, NCSG and CSIA Education Director “We collect credit card info when booking the appointment to keep on file. Our technicians do not need to handle credit cards, checks or cash since we get paid time of service. Most people have a 3ft arm reach which is less than the 6ft required social distance.” - Chuck Roydhouse, Clean Sweep of A.A. Co., Inc.
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“We’ve issued Cougar paws to all technicians, bought the platforms from Snaplok. We’ve adopted the safety bag idea. All technicians have a safety bag assigned to them with helmets, goggles, gloves, and respirators in a sealed bag. These are inspected monthly. Helmets not only keep you safe, they also improve sales. We sent out an email blast with our safety procedures outlined, along with a video that outlined our safety protocols.” - Doug Hetsch, All American Chimney Service
Look out for each month’s Sweeps Say question on Facebook!
Editor’s Letter
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ummer is here! Our edition this month is centered on safety, and it could not have come at a more appropriate time. Many of us are using this time for reevaluating our routines and practices and searching for ways to improve our safety precautions. We here at NCSG know that this industry takes safety seriously, so hopefully these articles reinforce the measures you’ve already taken as well as give you inspiration for some new ideas. What are the best ways
to interact with your customers and keep relationships with your clients strong? Get some selling and serving tips from Carter Harkins and Taylor Hill on page 6. They share with us some ideas on how to identify our customers’ motivations and how best to serve and appeal to those motivations. On page 12, Steve Scally provides some ideas on how to safely and confidently conduct business with clients and customers as we enter
Annemarie Stockton Editor
this “new normal”. The Environmental Protection Agency has developed a userfriendly program, Burn Wise, which can help you communicate with your customers on how to properly and safely burn wood and heat their homes — check this out on page 23. As we enter the full swing of summer and begin gearing up for our busy season, remember to look after yourselves and your teams!
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Carter Harkins and Taylor Hill
3 Tips For Selling + Serving In A PostCOVID World
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hoa, what happened to life as we know it? Will things ever return to “normal” or are we, as everyone keeps saying, going to come out on the other side to find a “new normal”? We’ve got some ideas about this, but regardless of what normal looks like in the future, there are some things that will never change: 1. Your need to sell your company and your services. 2. The way your customers’ brains work. We just wrapped up a book called Alchemy: The Dark Art & Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business & Life, by Rory Sutherland. We want to share a couple of the takeaways and how they can help you better sell to and serve your clients in a post-COVID world. Ready? Let’s dive in…
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#1 Don’t stop with the first logical explanation. Find the unconscious motivations of your customers. Do you know why people hire you or buy your products and services? No, we’re not talking about the simple, most logical and immediate answer that popped into your mind. Go deeper into the real why. What is the benefit? What is their ultimate goal and unconscious motivation? When you ditch the most logical, surface answer and look deeper, you discover the truth: Your customers don’t call you because they need an inspection or sweeping. They don’t call you because they’d like to upgrade their fireplace. They call you because they want to feel safe, comfortable, and cozy in their homes. They call you because they have fond memories of time spent around a crackling fire and they want to share that experience with their family and friends.
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As Sutherland points out in his book, when we stick to surface, logical answers, we miss the whole point. We think people go to restaurants because they’re hungry. But you don’t need a restaurant to satisfy your hunger. There’s more to it - an unconscious motivation, like social connection. It’s the same with your services. What’s the unconscious motivation behind your clients’ need for your services? Don’t let your time in the industry
numb you to the real motivations your customers have and the real benefits they seek. When you do, you miss the opportunity to speak to those motivations in your marketing and your conversations with your customers. And you’re far less likely to close the sale, because you’re not speaking to what truly motivates your customers and what their real needs are.
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#2 Focus on feelings + what’s behind them. We humans don’t always know why we feel the way we feel and we may inaccurately tie a feeling to a reason. For example, a customer may say in a review that they were angry because the tech was late. What they were really angry about is that they felt powerless and disrespected in the situation because they weren’t given control or context.
It’s why a customer who gets a text explaining why you’re running late and when they can expect you will feel less angry than someone who’s sitting around stewing, with no communication from the tech. As the business owner, it’s your job to figure out what is really causing your customers frustration and other negative feelings and eliminate those things. It’s your job to figure out what is really making your customers feel good, so you can
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create more of those good feelings in the customer experience.
the new situation and place your clients find themselves in.
Again, to quote Sutherland, “People may be accurate commentators on their emotional state, but the causes of that emotional state are often a complete mystery to them.” So don’t just take your customers at their word. Dig deeper and make changes to your business accordingly to eliminate those negative feelings and elicit good feelings.
That may mean focusing more on your financing options, doing whatever you need to do to provide contactless service, shooting DIY videos for simple fixes, etc. Get in your customers’ heads and remove resistance by speaking directly to their new concerns, priorities, and perception of the world and their place in it.
#3 Remember that context changes perception. This year has really thrown everything off track - for some of your clients, more than others. And because of that, selling might look different. Things that worked in the past may not now. Things that were once top priorities for your clients may now seem unimportant. Sutherland says, “People are highly contradictory. The situation or place in which we find ourselves may completely change our perception and judgment.” For that reason, you may have to shift your focus and your approach to align your services with
You may not be a psychologist, but the more deeply you understand your clients, the easier it will be to sell to and serve them in a post-COVID world. Carter Harkins and Taylor Hill are the co-founders of Spark Marketer, a Nashville, Tennessee-based digital marketing company that works primarily with service businesses. They’re also cocreators of the award-winning app Closing Commander, which helps contractors close more estimates effortlessly, and co-authors of the book, Blue Collar Proud: 10 Principles for Building a Kickass Business You Love. Both regularly speak at service industry trade shows and conferences across the nation. Visit www. sparkmarker.com, www.about. closingcommander.com, www. facebook.com/sparkmarketer, or www.facebook.com/ closingcommander.
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Technical Q and A We are living in a whole new world. How do we best protect our clients and our employees from the virus and continue to work?
M
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oving forward, we all will need to have new SOP’s for going into our clients’ homes in order to protect them and ourselves from spreading this virus. The in-home industry, that we are in, may possibly be coming up with some new standards in light of this COVID-19 virus. Communicating to your employees and your clients on how you plan to keep them safe is key. The first order of business is to review your new SOP’s with your employees and make sure they understand the new process. Let them know that you realize this will add new responsibilities to their job and may increase the time needed for them to do each job as safely as possible. Also let your employees know that you are about
their well-being, and if they have any concerns now or in the future they should come to you. Communicating your new process to your clients can be done in multiple ways. It may start with the initial client phone call. When a client calls your office, you may want to have a new script of what your new process is for your company. You may want to get their email address so that you can send them a written copy of your new process. You may also want to outline your new process on your website, Facebook page, and other social media pages. You can post your new procedure as a written piece or upload a video detailing/showing the process you will go through. Let your clients know you care about them and that you are doing
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everything possible to ensure their safety. We can become the leaders in what is sure to become a new standard of care for the in-home industry. There is no onesize-fits-all solution, especially in light of the various state regulations and the effect the virus has had on different parts of the country. We all are going to have to come up with our own best practices to deal with this virus for our clients. For many people, the Coronavirus is all too real, and they are now afraid to come in contact with any outsiders. There are other people who equate this virus with the flu and do not see the need for social distancing or the wearing of masks. Both types of clients will need to have their chimney swept, and we need ways to be able to
work with each of them. I sat in on a webinar in April with John Meredith (Owner, Saver Systems in Richmond, Indiana), Alan Rush (Owner, Rush Profits in Tennessee), Chuck Roydhouse (President of the CSIA), Joe Ochal (Owner, Chimney Scientist in Pennsylvania — Joe is a chimney sweep and a microbiologist), Jasper Drengler (President of the NCSG), and Attorney Brian D. Burbrink. Joe Ochal discussed different ways we can go into a client’s home and do it safely. Joe has put together a kit that he brings with him for each client. In his kit he has three sets of gloves (a disposable pair for going into the house, a sweeping pair, and a part for going out of the house), booties, an N95 mask, and a sanitary drop cloth (he uses a sheet of plastic).
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He puts these items into a plastic tote. In addition, Joe brings into the house his respirator, a bottle of disinfectant (he uses bleach mixed with water at a 12 – 1 solution), and a cloth to wipe down surfaces. Joe was very specific about only spraying the disinfectant solution on a cloth you brought with you (not onto the actual surfaces) to disinfect the areas you touched (i.e., the glass doors, damper handles, doorknobs, etc.) The sanitary drop is a onetime per household use, he said. When you bring it out at the end of the job, it must be put into the trash along with the booties and disposable gloves. If you were to use a cloth drop cloth, you would put it into a sealed container and launder it before using it again. All your equipment (rods, vacuum, camera, camera cases, etc) should also be cleaned and wiped down after each use. If you use a tote bin, you will need
to wipe that down as well. When receiving payment, if the client wants to give you a check, make sure it goes into a plastic bag that can sealed, and you should have on a set gloves. The idea of a kit is interesting, and we can adapt it to best meet our individual needs. For example, most of us will have a difficult, if not impossible, time of getting N95 masks. However, cloth masks can be used instead. Joe uses the N95 masks when originally
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greeting the client and then uses his respirator if it is needed for the job. Some of us do not like using plastic underneath our drop cloths because they can be slippery, so we might look at our drop cloths as one-time use per client. If you cannot stand the smell of bleach, you can use Lysol (if you can find it) or another type of disinfectant. The coronavirus has forever changed the way we work. There will be no “normal” to return to. The new
SOP’s we make for our own companies will be our new way of doing business. Whether we adopt some of these ideas and practices ourselves or the industry imposes new in-home work standards, I believe our work going forward will be different than what is was before the virus.
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Coach’s Corner Did You Waste the Crisis?
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hen the COVID-19 crisis rode into town as a plague on a black horse, one of the quotes I heard from several of my mentors was “Don’t Waste the Crisis”. This seemed like an odd statement, as the world went into a tailspin in March of this year. The quote inspired me to do some research. As I researched, I found that the quote had commonly been credited to Winston Churchill. My research revealed the following. There is some speculation that Churchill said that in a meeting with Stalin & Roosevelt, that first brought up the formation of the United Nations. But there is no actual confirmation of that other than “it sounds like something he [Churchill] would say” - not even viable hearsay. So, I decided to
dig deeper. A philosopher by the name of Niccolo Machiavelli is the creator of the quote “Never Waste the Opportunity Offered by a Good Crisis.” Another who used this quote with the addition of the word “serious” was Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff, in response to the Wall Street meltdown, “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that is it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before”. But what does this quote really mean? To me, it said that as the world changed due to crisis, the world really did not change. It was merely that illusions we had were being stripped away as Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, said. This so adequately describes
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the world that we are in as we come through and hopefully out of a crisis that many of us have never seen or witnessed in our lives. Our land of plentiful and ample supplies has been challenged, and even at this point, we wait to see how this crisis will affect the supply chain for months to come. This crisis has caused over 25,000,000 to now join the unemployment ranks. The long-term effect and number of businesses that may not survive is staggering. If one looks at the forecasts for small businesses, it is not good. The United States Chamber of Commerce forecasts that as many as 24% of small businesses will fail in the coming months. More profound is the prediction of an 11% failure in the next month, as I write this. This is 13 times the
normal loss of small businesses in a year. So, I ask the question, Did You Waste the Crisis? The time of shutdown or near shutdown brought you opportunities, but did the daily woes we each went through block the vision of the opportunities? For many, it likely did. These past several months have been a time that many have spent preparing their businesses for the reboot. They spent the time building the culture of their team members. They spent the time upping their skills, taking them to a higher level. Over the period since the COVID-19 launched, never has our industry seen a larger outpouring of online opportunities to advance their skills, to do the preparation for the required business reboot. As I write
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this in early May, I wonder what our world situation will be when you read it, as we are now living in a time that the world changes daily, and at times it seems hourly.
others, though, there is still a shutdown in place, where some are waiting for the return-to-work orders to be put into effect by their state and local governments.
On the plus side, we see that in some regions of our country there has actually been prosperity for many of our industry members. The effects of this crisis have been wide ranging, as some have not suffered the ill effects. In
We have gone through a period where inperson meetings were cancelled, but the amount of live education provided online has soared. Even the annual NCSG Convention was not an in-person convention, rather
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we virtually attended the trade show and presentations. The number of webinars produced in April and May have been staggering and never before seen. A new term many of us are saying is that we are “zoomed out”! But many of these webinars have allowed us to “zoom in” and get educational opportunities delivered right to our desktops, tablets, and phones. Many have even
amassed enough CEUs to recertify. What was inspiring was the amazing number of the temporarily unemployed that attended many of these to build their skills in a time of crisis. I know when I presented online presentations and scanned the people in attendance, it was great to see so many attending these educational offerings and have the ability to earn many CEU certificates.
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My hope for you as the reader is that you did not waste this crisis. Rather, you have spent this time to accomplish those things you needed to do, but just never had the time to do before. That you have poised your company for the New Next, as my mentor Randy Pennington calls it. Yes, the world has certainly changed, but did it really? Or was it that your illusions simply got stripped away? I can understand this, as there was a day a decade ago that every illusion I had was stripped away. But once the world uncovered itself, I found my strength from a crisis. I hope you have found yours. Likely this has been a period of pain for many of us, but it’s often through the pain that we suffer that we find the strength to endure the pain that change produces.
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About the Author: Jerry Isenhour is an industry consultant, educator, and coach who authors a monthly article in Sweeping as a service to the industry. A Past President of NCSG & CSIA, along with serving in several volunteer industry positions over his career. For more information about Jerry and how his team can assist you individually and your business in your quest for success and your ascent to the next level, take a look at his web site www.cvcsuccessgroup.com He can be contacted at jerry@cvcsuccessgroup.com or by phone at (704) 425-0217. You can also obtain great business tips from his Facebook page CVC Coaching and YouTube channel CVC Coaching.
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Just How At Risk Are Chimney Sweeps?
W
e all breathe the same air, or do we?
Over the last several months, we have been studying the components of soot. We know soot’s long history of giving you cancer. It killed the chimney boys and it could do the same to us, too. Chimney sweeps are exposed daily to massive amounts of soot. More than you realize. We also come across household dusts, asbestos, cement dusts and lots of other unpleasant substances. Soot, as we know, is made up of dozens of components, namely carbon pm (parts per million) 10 and 2.5s. However, up to 10 percent of wood soot is made up of PAHs or
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. This is the nasty stuff. Tiny amounts are an immediate risk, and some have known mutagenic compounds such as Benzopyrene.
By Daniel Hodgson Hodgson’s Chimney Sweeps London, England Edits by John Pilger Chief Chimney Services, Inc. Smithtown, NY
Let’s look at a similar industry, which deals with hazardous waste which is a known killer. The asbestos industry. Asbestos is a bit of a taboo name, but in reality, it’s just a ground
up mineral which is a great building product. Prior to 1999, it was used in just about anything and everything, from shingles to cigarette filters. It wasn’t until the 1950s that people realized there were adverse effects from using asbestos. As we know, it takes from to 20-40 years for asbestos exposure to take effect. The more you have been exposed, the more at risk you are. Funnily enough the same can be said for soot. So why am I linking the two? They are both fine dusts. They are both known to give you cancer, they both cause similar cancers, yet only one industry is regulated.
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Did you know the Asbestos Industry is the 2nd most regulated industry in the UK under the Nuclear Industry? Let’s look at the control measure below:
there is a tented area using 1000-gauge clear polythene which is taped and stapled. All creases have been removed with a Negative Pressure Unit set up which should
22 What are we seeing here? This is a pretty basic asbestos removal set up. Outside there would be a marked perimeter and a decontamination unit. You will start in a category 3, grade 5 asbestos suit with a PAPR mask (powered, air-purifying respirator aka positive pressure) after going through the decontamination. You will remove your clean suit in the airlock. You will work in a separate suit after the airlock to do your removal job using control measures. What you can see
make eight air changes per hour, moving 1000m3 p/h, 2 nomadic hz-250 vacs, one in the contaminated area, and one outside. The vacuums would have to be bagged for removal. All asbestos is removed wet with a disinfectant to stop airborne particles being produced. The removal firm will have to then go through decontamination and can finally go back into normal clothes all whilst still wearing the PAPR respirator. The respirator is the
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last thing to come off. There are also exposure limits, air monitoring procedures and an analyst will come in after the removal job. You get the idea — it’s pretty involved. Every licensed asbestos job also requires a detailed plan of work, risk assessment, method statement and to be sent to the Health, Safety and Environment agency for approval 14 days before work commences. When you go to sweep a chimney, you lay your cloths, put on your mask (if you use one), bring in your tools, and then remove everything from the flue, dry. The complete opposite to how an asbestos firm would deal with asbestos. The HSE would simply close you down if you dealt with asbestos in this way. You then get in your van with your contaminated clothes and drive to next job. While all the while soot is continuing to soak through your skin and breathed in through
your lungs. What is the working Exposure Limit for Soot? No one actually knows. Maybe this is something that needs to be addressed? For myself, I use a PAPR respirator. This reduces your exposure limit by up to 40 times. I also use an air cleaner, a hazardous vacuum, corduroy sheets and 1000-gauge polythene to seal off the fireplace. I also wash after every job and use disposables. You get the idea that I’m pretty clean. So why am I writing this? I truly believe the chimney sweeping industry needs a shakeup. Maybe HSE needs to step in to set out clear control parameters and methods to minimize the risk to the chimney sweep. A basic set of standards needs to be ascertained to stop the chimney sweeps being at a large risk. Lots of food for thought here. Maybe chimney sweeping is much riskier than you thought?
How EPA Burn Wise Helps You and Your Customer
T
he Environmental Protection Agency has developed a user-friendly program, called Burn Wise, to educate the public in proper wood burning techniques in order to create more efficient fires in home heating appliances and eliminate wasting our natural resources, i.e. wood. This also reduces chimney fires and fires in the home. The CSIA offers free Burn Wise Educational Courses on our website www.csia. org. CEUs are awarded for completion of the educational modules.
Examples Include: “Why Wet Wood Is a Waste”, “How to Measure the Moisture Content in the Wood” and “How to Build a Firewood Shed” video (Burn Wise videos are at www.epa.gov/ burnwise/videos). You can place these links on your website in order to direct your customers.
By Chuck Roydhouse, President CSIA
This is a highly valued marketing tool and you should take advantage of this at once.
Why am I writing about a Governmental Agency? Easy. It helps you and your business. The EPA has gravitas and by you using a trusted third party’s scientifically backed recommendations, you build trust with your customer and trust builds relationships and relationships build repeat business, drive sales and service.
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Does this work? Yes, I have been using this program and its leave behind materials for approximately 4 years. My Lead CSIA Certified Technicians report back regularly how a homeowner was very impressed that we took the time to explain why and how creosote is formed and why the newer stoves
Free Burn Wise Materials! Order free handout materials for you and your customer’s use at: www.epa.gov/ burnwise/orderform burn 1/3 less wood and are 50% more efficient, all of which saves the homeowner money and shows the return on investment (ROI) of a stove upgrade.
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Burn Wise Highlights to Reinforce with A Homeowner Do’s: Season wood for at least 6 months - store wood outdoors off the ground and covered. Wood burns best with less than 20% moisture content. Always test wood with a moisture meter before burning. • Start fires with a newspaper or dry kindling. • Never use gasoline, kerosene or lighter fluid.
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• Keep all flammables away from wood burning appliances such as curtains, furniture, books and newspapers. • Build small, hot fires and keep a fire extinguisher handy.
Don’ts: Burn trash, cardboard, plastic, magazines, wrapping paper, pressure treated wood, driftwood, plywood or wet/damp wood. Do not let the fire smolder.
Maintenance Have your chimney inspected annually and swept if needed by a CSIA Certified Sweep Technician. A clean
chimney provides good draft and reduces the risk of a chimney fire. Upgrading to an EPA certified wood stove and fireplace inserts burn cleaner and more efficiently, emitting less pollution, protecting the environment and using less fuel — a win-win for the homeowner, environment and you as the onsite subject matter expert. Employing these tools and tactics will establish care and trust between you and your customer. As “Sooty Bob” says, “create a customer for life and grow your business”. The best part, this is the right thing to do! For more information please consult www.csia. org and www.epa. gov/burnwise. Sweeps Luck, Chuck Roydhouse President, Roydhouse Effect Inc.
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Chuck Roydhouse is a graduate of Shepard University with a degree in Fire Science and Safety. He has managed a successful chimney maintenance and repair company for over 27 years. He is President of Roydhouse Effect Inc. This firm offers fractional CEO Consulting Services that specialize in making businesses profitable and organized. Chuck has served on the CSIA Board of Directors since 2014. He has held the positions as CSIA Treasurer and Vice President. He currently serving as CSIA President.
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Jay Walker
Meet a Member
Meet Jay Walker of Jay Walker Enterprises, Inc. in Tallahassee, Florida. Jay has been a member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild for nearly 25 years and seems to know a thing or two about running a successful chimney service business.
26 What is a question you get asked most about being a chimney sweep/chimney sweeping/the industry? How did you get into the chimney service business in Florida?
Who was your most famous customer? Actually, three. Mr. Busch (you know the beer guy), Ted Turner, and the White House (Bush, Obama, & Trump were guests at the time).
How did you get started in the industry? I worked for another company called All Service Industries. One of their services was chimney sweeping.
Have you ever attended NCSG Annual Convention & Trade Show? If so, what was your favorite takeaway? Since about 1994 — Atlanta, Georgia — I’ve attend most all the conventions & trade shows. That first one in Atlanta, I was blown away meeting others in the same trade. Visiting the trade show was like being in candy store. I wanted one of everything.
What advice do you wish you had received when you were getting started? Hire someone for the office. I tried to do it all myself for the first 10 years. What is the biggest challenge you face on the job? What are your best strategies for overcoming it? Having separation from work and home life. I finally built an office/warehouse separate for home after 20 years in business.
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What is your proudest accomplishment? Donating a woodstove installation to someone in need.
Have you ever had to make your own tool to solve a particular problem? Yes, I built a device that hooks to a winch that can lift pre-fabricated chimney sections. Weirdest thing you have ever found in a chimney? I’m not sure about weirdest, maybe a car’s license plate. I do like looking at old newspapers that folks had used to seal up where the damper would be. What do you like to do outside of work? My wife Candy and I are active with our church. I like to spend time at my farm on my tractor or taking folks hunting, I spend a lot of time with friends at our lake cottage.
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What is, in your opinion, the most valuable part of being a member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild? Networking and information gathering. Once I retire, I hope to one day travel the country visiting other colleagues businesses. Thanks, Jay! Do you know who should be the next featured member? Send your nominations to Annemarie Stockton at astockton@ncsg.org.
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Brittney Burton
Membership and Outreach Coordinator
A
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s many states across the country are progressing through reopening plans, we face another round of adjustment as we transition into the “new normal”. Safety is at the forefront of everyone’s minds during this shift as it has been for days, weeks, and even months. Everyone is at a different point in transition to the “new normal” and it will be an adjustment, but there are many things we can all do to help one another, minimize stress and anxiety, and ultimately keep everyone safe and healthy.
Use the Restart as an Opportunity to Make Positive Changes As we all get back into a routine, now is the time to make healthy, deliberate, and productive changes.
Membership Memo Now is a chance to assess your personal and professional needs. Maybe it’s revamping your daily routine to start your day an hour earlier to read a book, spend time with family, earn CEUs, or get in your morning exercise. Look into revitalizing a company policy that has diminished over time. Reorganize your vans, trucks, warehouses, and tools. Make daily processes more efficient. Choose to make this “new normal” an opportunity for positive change. Make all of your decisions over the coming weeks deliberately to set yourself up for success.
Individualize Your Approach for Each Employee or Customer Every family has been affected by this virus and the subsequent social distancing differently. One size does not fit all. Some employees and customers may be more concerned due to young children, elderly, or at-risk family members at home. Take time and listen to their concerns
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and incorporate them into your new safety protocols as much as possible. A return to “normal” will not be a return to how things were done prior to this pandemic. Communicate thoroughly and address concerns with an air of flexibility and understanding to make this transition as fluid as possible.
Prioritize Mental Health In the beginning of this pandemic many of us were lost in the unknown as we maneuvered through the early stages, not sure what to expect and what our roles would be each day. Now as we transition back to “normal” many will be lost in the familiar, rejoining familiar spaces and faces but with new protocols and routines that don’t allow a return to true normal. Acknowledge that this transition will too be riddled with its own difficulties, stresses, and pitfalls. Check in with each other throughout this transition and make light of the missteps.
Reconnect with each other, create refreshed comradery, and find opportunities for smiles and laughter.
Take Advantage of your NCSG Member Benefits We are all in this together and the NCSG is with you as we define this “new normal”. So remember to utilize your membership benefits to make the best of this time. The Technical Advisory Council is still available for your calls as you all continue or restart sweeps and repairs. Find business help to continue in the right direction with webinars from Spark Marketer and CVC Success Group. Watch the Survive & Revive Service Business Panel webinars that NCSG & CSIA have partnered up on. Most importantly, stay connected on the NCSG Discussion List and benefit from each other’s knowledge and success.
Roydhouse Round Up
know. Please keep this in mind as you digest the following thoughts composed to help you get through this challenging time. Now is the time to focus and regroup and meet the challenge head on.
by Chuck Roydhouse, CSIA President president@csia.org
Your body is a big part of your capital: don’t invest in the “Bank of Careless Habits” Our world has certainly changed in the last couple of months. COVID-19 has touched everyone in some fashion. I hope it hasn’t hit you, your family or coworkers and all are well. I can’t pretend as of this writing where we will be in the coming months. However, I will promise CSIA will support our industry and we will come out of this together and stronger. CSIA and NCSG have partnered to present panel discussions to help our industry get through the COVID-19 business lockdown. Topics are based on what can help you, our family, address the time sensitive issues to be of service to our clients and improve your business model. This is value added content for you. You’ve made an investment in CSIA / NCSG and we appreciate and value you just like you value your customers. I strongly encourage you to join these panel discussions. All are welcome. This month’s topic for Sweeping is Safety, something that is near and dear to my heart. My entire life has been molded by safety, fire prevention, preparations for emergency response and making rescues when all else fails. My father was a fire chief, and everyone in our family has been in the fire department. On top of that, I spent 10 years in the Boy Scouts rising to the rank of Eagle Scout- our motto is “Be Prepared.” My degree is in Fire Science and Safety. I worked for 25 years as a career firefighter, therefore this is the only culture I
Our current climate necessitates the focus on 3 key safety areas: personal, mental and financial. These are all areas CSIA can help you with. Now is the time to invest in education and advanced certifications. Personal safety encompasses preventable actions to mitigate exposures: frequent handwashing, face mask/ respiratory protection, wiping down and sanitizing all products and equipment used at work and home. In addition, making safe choices for your visitations. Now is not the time to jump in a ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese. If you have not already, you must create sanitary SOPs for office and field operations to provide both your employees and customers peace of mind and trust in working with your company. You should also provide guidance for your employees to stay consistent in these practices off duty and at home to maintain a healthy lifestyle. CSIA and NCSG have featured this topic with free downloads as a model for your company’s sanitary protocols. Health, diet and physical fitness are always important and should be at the forefront of your behavior given the restrictions placed upon us by state and local governments limiting our movement. Eating right and exercise keeps you healthy and safe so you may interact with customers, co-workers, and your family to be effective. Mental health and attitude effects whether you perform in a safe manner at work and home. Maintaining the right disposition is the order of the day. What should you do to succeed? Be positive, be productive, be bold, be stimulated and be American! Have an outside hobby or interest, give yourself a diversion or project to work on to keep yourself challenged and sharp. Read books
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October 2019 or take an online class. Do not fade out. Keep moving forward, “moss does not gather on a rolling stone.”
we touch on all of these issues and provide action plans for any company size to be profitable and safe.
Finally, what is your financial safety both personal and business? Things you should know:
I hope this writing gives you a broader view of safety and see what large reaching definitions and effects safety has on our personal and business well- being. If we at the CSIA can help with this or any other education or training curriculum, please reach out. We are always here for you. We are, after all, the Chimney Safety Institute of America and the Chimney Success Institute of America. We are standing ready to help our industry and or trades people. We are family and we are in this together.
1) Know your numbers- what is your budget, both personal and for the company? 2) What are your personal and business expenses? If you are not sure, create a list of all payments required on a regular basis. 3) What is the typical monthly income both personal and business? How does this correlate to gross/ personal income yearly? Are you meeting the minimum financial requirement? If not, what is your plan? Giving up is not a plan for success. Are you applying safe business practices and budgeting so you can survive for 6 months if you had ZERO INCOME? Your business and personal income stream and reserves are your life’s blood, oxygen and nourishment for survival and cannot be ignored. If you are not meeting these expectations, it is not too late. Reboot! CSIA Surefire eLearning has answers to these questions. We also have in-person training listed on our website. Please attend our next Business Symposium as
A Safety mindset is an inexpensive and effective insurance policy. As always, CSIA is the standard of excellence in the chimney and venting industry!
Chuck Roydhouse, CSIA President
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Cameron Mott Mott and Wilder Chimney Services, Vermont LLC Nathan Lindgren Berea Clean Sweep Chimney Service Lyndon Center Maryland Ariel Whitman Wisconsin Priddy Chimney Sweeps Dan Wise Derwood Chimney Concepts Cederburg Michigan Erik Schryer Complete Chimney Care Sterling Heights
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Magan McMahon Executive Director
Around the Tech Center
H
ello June! We are slowly opening back up here at the Tech Center! Summer time is always our favorite time of year as so many of you stop by to say hello and catch up. As with any business, though, we have implemented some precautions and safety measures for both our guests and staff. If you miss us as much as we miss you all and want to swing by to say hello, please give the office staff a call or send us an email with your intended time of visit. We will have a series of questions to ask you before your visit. Upon arrival, please call us when you are in the parking lot and we will let you know when it is safe to come in. We will have a safety waiver for you to fill out with the same questions asked before your visit. Also, don’t be surprised
if we take your temperature at the door! We are all pros at social distancing now, so maintaining 6 feet from one another during the visit should be easy. For your comfort and ours, the Tech Center has sanitizing stations set up throughout the building. We can’t wait to see both new and familiar faces. Please stay healthy and safe as we all continue to navigate this unfamiliar territory.
There’s still time to attend the 2020 NCSG Online Convention and Virtual Trade Show!
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In Case You
Missed
it…
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With support from CSIA, NCSG has teamed up with the SureFire to take much of the 2020 NCSG Convention material online, so you can use this time of quarantine to learn and earn CEUs from the comfort of your own home. This online convention gives you the ability to earn nearly 20 CEUs and “attend” a virtual trade show for only $79...all from the comfort of your own home. You won’t see another deal like this! ALL profits will go to Warrior Horse, a non-profit founded by our industry’s own, Kevin Russell. Registration closes Tuesday, June 9th, so don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity! To register and to access all of the free content, visit www. NCSGConvention.org.
NCSG + CSIA are teaming up to provide you the resources you need. Each week, NCSG and CSIA, along with many other industry leaders, present a panel discussion webinar with topics covering what you need during this time of uncertainty and challenges. Join us Thursdays at 4PM ET to listen as the panelists address your concerns and help prepare you to hit the ground running. Visit the NCSG Facebook page each week to register for the webinar and view previous presentations.
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Darwin Award Submitted by Lou Schweighardt, FireFox Energy Concepts, LLC in Andover, Kansas
See a chimney in your area that had you scratching your head? Send it to the editor, Annemarie Stockton at astockton@ncsg.org for publication in Sweeping. Include a few words about the scene and location.
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