Mr Soot founder David has been invited to join a new international forum working to improve chimney sweep training, certification and safety standards — with a particular focus on the United States.

The forum was launched by Colorado-based Byron Schramm, owner of Midtown Chimney Services, and brings together experienced professionals from the UK, US and Germany. It’s independent of any trade association or political body — a working group for people who actually train, inspect, install and manufacture,

The US has no single national licensing system for chimney and fireplace work. Requirements vary wildly by state and municipality, and while there are respected certifications, rigorous hands-on assessment of working professionals remains patchy.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates fireplaces and chimneys caused around 15,800 fires a year between 2017 and 2019.

The forum’s members believe there’s a real opportunity to close that gap by learning from international models — structured apprenticeships, practical assessment, continuing development and stronger enforcement against misuse of certification marks.

The group will meet quarterly to compare training models, study practical assessment methods, and document what’s working — with findings shared more widely with trade bodies, insurers and fire safety organisations.

David said: “Many US homes are built primarily from timber. When a chimney or fireplace is incorrectly installed or poorly maintained, the consequences can be extremely serious. I’m delighted to join this forum, and I hope what we’ve built through Mr Soot Training and the wider UK industry can genuinely help.”

Forum founder Byron Schramm said: “This is not another association, and it is not intended to replace the good organisations that already exist.

“It is a working forum for people who are directly involved in training, inspecting, installing, manufacturing tools and developing the next generation of chimney professionals.

“Everyone involved will have something to teach and something to learn. However, our central goal is to take the strongest ideas from the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States and use them to help create a better training, assessment and certification system for America.

“The United States has certifications, but certification by itself is not enough. A certificate must represent demonstrated competence. At present, rigorous hands-on examination of people who are actively performing this work remains far too limited and inconsistent across the country.

“When fireplaces and chimneys are involved in thousands of fires every year, we cannot simply assume the existing system is sufficient. We have an obligation to examine it honestly and ask how training, practical testing, certification and accountability can be improved.

“The industry needs rigorous certification, but it also needs a welcoming path for newcomers. We should make it easier for good people to enter the trade, receive excellent training and build a worthwhile career, while making it much harder for unqualified individuals to present themselves as competent professionals.

“We are not short of opinions in the chimney industry. What we need is cooperation, practical testing, measurable results and better evidence.

“The ultimate purpose is simple: better-trained professionals, safer installations and safer homes.”