Training

Chimney Sweeps International is a professional training and testing site designed to educate chimney professionals to become better chimney technicians for tomorrow. The training includes a combination of videos and sample tests. The videos are designed to educate chimney technicians, and our video library will continue to grow. The testing is designed to educate and test. Typically, the first part of testing allows our students to review the questions with the answers provided. This allows the students to read the questions and study the test. When the student feels confident that they understand the subject matter, they are tested again with the answers in random order. This fast-paced learning process educates our students quickly, and they become more intimately familiar with the subject matter. Like martial arts, our testing is color coded. The series of testing involved is the following:

Apprentice

White Belt – Apprentice Sweep

The white belt represents the untouched cleanliness of a new apprentice sweep who has never worked with a chimney. This soot free person has never experienced the world of chimney sweeping. Like a fresh beginning of a completely white piece of paper, this new apprentice can begin a career and draft whatever story they desire. Welcome my new sweep, may God bless your journey. Click the image to the left to begin your lessons.

Yellow Belt

The yellow belt represents the sunrise of a new day. When a sweep in on a roof and sees a beautiful sunrise, it is the start of a new day as a sky walker. Just like a new day, the yellow belt student begins his study of building codes and understanding of the construction of chimneys.

Orange Belt

The orange belt represents a sunset. The long day of working from morning until night and the grit and determination of never giving up. The orange belt program focuses on why building codes were formed. A good sweep knows the building codes but a master sweep understands the building codes.

Green Belt

The green belt represents the beautiful lawns a chimney sweep sees from the roof. The start of the spring season which also represents the journey of the chimney sweep program. Like grass that begins to grow, the chimney sweep learns the science of chimneys regarding draft, flow and creosote formation.

Journeyman

Blue Belt – Journeyman Sweep

The blue belt represents the noon clear blue sky which we see from rooftops. Our sweep advances from apprentice to journeyman. Our sweeps train to completely memorize building code requirements, present findings and learn levels of inspections. Test requirements change to 100% which represents the perfection required to become a master chimney sweep.

Purple Belt

The purple belt represents wealth and royalty of the modern day chimney sweep. The profession is a gift from God. This entire level of training focuses on the history of chimney sweeps from climbing boys to modern day chimney sweeps and how practice and techniques have changed throughout time.

Red Belt

The red belt represents the fire of the August sun. This fire to learn is what separates disciplined chimney sweeps from helpers. Our training focuses on chimney problems and diagnosis of chimneys. Our sweeps have a complete understanding of 3 levels of chimney inspections.

Brown Belt

The brown belt represents the fall season. Every chimney sweep embraces the fall season like samurai soldiers going to war. The steady feet of the sweep is similar to the balance and movement of a ninja. Our sweeps continue training OSHA regulations and develop safe roof skills and proper instruction.

Master

Black Belt – Master Sweep

The black belt represents the experience and time required to become a master chimney sweep. It represents the years of black soot that has traveled throughout your body. The soot that dusts a room when a vacuum bag breaks and the soot that is on the seat of your van. The soot that has been on chimney sweep faces throughout time. Our sweeps train on how to operate a chimney sweep business.

But What Does It Cost?

The cost for training exams, videos and your first test for each level is free of charge. Upper-level exams may require video monitoring to insure honesty. Retraining exams and retesting may have fees involved. Create an account using the login link in the top right corner to begin your training today!
Training was last modified: February 26th, 2022 by Eric Thomas