This time of year, area volunteer firefighters respond to many chimney fires; too many.
When a 911 call is made the caller might be citing smoke in the building, a CO2 detector alarm sounding, black smoke coming from the chimney, or any number of dangerous conditions that will start the dispatch of your area fire companies.
I say fire companies because in this era of declining volunteers as well as caution to ensure that sufficient help is responding to your call, more than one fire company will be sent to your aid. Most often, an emergency medical service unit is dispatched as well. Plenty of people; plenty of equipment; and from several nearby locations.
Better to be sent and not needed than needed and not sent.
It's somewhat relieving when firefighters learn that the call is for a minor chimney fire and not the entire building. Most chimney fires can be handled with a minimum number of crew and equipment, and the rest of the responders are sent back home.
Among newer homeowners or those with recently installed wood-stoves, it's not unusual to hear that they never knew that a chimney needed to be inspected on a regular basis and cleaned out when needed.
In wood burning stoves and fireplaces, creosote can form when wood is burned incompletely. A smoky fire without enough oxygen emits lots of unburned tar vapors that can condense inside the chimney flue and stick to it. That could lead to a fire.
Just because you don't burn wood doesn't mean you don't have to worry about your chimney.
Most oil and/or gas heating appliances also rely on a chimney for proper venting of the exhaust. They may not produce the creosote that wood-burning appliances do but, they still produce soot which is a highly corrosive substance that can do real damage to the inside of a chimney. If often happens without producing any external symptoms until the problem has gotten so far out of hand that it becomes extremely dangerous and very expensive to repair.
During the winter, gas and oil-fueled furnaces are subjected to long running cycles that produce soot and other substances that can cling to the sides of your chimney. The accumulation of these substances will restrict the flow of the flue gases (nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor mostly).
The combustion process also produces carbon monoxide, which is an extremely dangerous gas that needs to be vented properly so it doesn't spill back into your home instead of going up the chimney.
Metal chimneys need to be checked as well to avoid fires from the build-up of creosote or ash.
So do yourself and your family a favor and contact a reliable "chimney sweep" to check your chimney and keep it clean.
Your local volunteer firefighters will thank you for giving them a break during the cold winter months.