Wood Stove and Chimney Inspections

Our volunteer firefighters are continually being asked too inspect woodstoves and chimney installations. These requests are often a result of insurance company requests. Many installations do not meet minimum code requirements causing fires, which we then respond to.

Despite our best intentions in the interest of fire safety, even verbal inspection reports carry the risk of liability claims against the fire department. Persons conducting an inspection may not be aware, overlook or miss an installation deficiency. Most volunteer firefighters are not certified by a recognized inspection authority, such as W.E.T.T. (Wood Energy Technology Transfer Inc.) and therefore are not qualified to do the inspections in the first place. In order to clarify the departments position on these inspections the following policy has been adopted.