The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, reports that some 22,600 residential fires in the 50 states were related to solid, liquid and other fuel appliances and equipment in 1998. Of that number, 10,300 fires were attributed to chimneys and chimney connectors serving those heating systems. As a result of these fires, 130 people died, 370 people were injured, and total property losses were set at more than $201.4 million.
In addition, the estimated number of deaths associated with heating system carbon-monoxide poisoning in 1997 was estimated at no less than 135 and at least 11,000 non-fatal poisonings reported within the same time frame.
The root cause of most of these losses is that most U.S. homeowners are unaware that chimneys are an integral part of a home heating system and that they require regular evaluation and maintenance. In a great many European countries – including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Germany – chirnney-fire damage statistics have been reduced to negligible numbers because national coalitions of government, insurance companies, fire and building officials, and chimney sweeps have developed tough regulations mandating regularly scheduled chimney inspections and cleaning.
The citizens of those countries understand the hazards of unmaintained chimneys, and their chimney sweeps are regular members of their home safety team.
Most homeowners in the U.S. and Canada, however, seem to have little working knowledge of chimney and venting systems. This situation is complicated by the fact that faults, damage and problems rarely visible to the casual observer. In fact, people who will quickly replace a faulty automobile exhaust system because of the hazard it presents will allow their home’s exhaust system the chimney or vent – to go unchecked and unmaintained for years. The threat of chimney fires and unsafe indoor air quality conditions can be greatly reduced, perhaps even eliminated, if homeowners only understood that chimneys are active home operation systems which require regular maintenance.
