To think my neighbour should be invoiced by the fire service for all the resources he used

[quittinaeete]

Neighbor last week had a chimney fire and the fire service were out for 3-4 hours putting it out and risking themselves on his roof (with ladders). He constantly has fires going for 10 months of the year.

Overheard him joking that it was probably because he hadn't had it swept in years and they saved him a job as they gave it a good sweep after putting it out.

I have mine swept every year even though I don't use the wood burner that often.

This guy was very negligent and from the sounds of it caused the fire himself. Why shouldn't he be invoiced for this?

How many fires do you think AREN'T caused by someone doing something negligent/stupid? Precious few I would think.

And over the years he HAS paid for the service he received through taxation.

As for "that's not what I said" what do you THINK would be the likely realistic outcome of your plan?

@mindutopia that’s awful! Which parts of the US do that? I’m American and I’ve never heard of it but I spent most of my life in one part of the country so I’m not an authority on the whole thing. But I would def be interested to know where they make you pay for fire services.

I am laughing at the notion of a certificate of chimney cleaning, I've had open fires of one sort or another for over 30 years, used the services of many sweeps over that time and have never so much had a receipt for payment, let alone a professional certificate. Mind you, they didn't take hours to put out my chimney fire either, more like ten minutes.

"just charging those that are grossly negligent."

But it would make people think before they phone them out.

Over summer it's out of control BBQs. I'd rather my neighbours have access to the fire brigade than risk costing the NHS a fortune in skin grafts, or my fence go up.

Strickly speaking, if you buy something electric second hand and are in rented accommodation, you are supposed to get it checked by an electrician. If you could afford that, you wouldn't be buying second hand. But, you would have caused a fire by negligence.

There'd have to be a process of appeal and all together it would cost more than the fire service being free at the point of contact.

Where I come from they draw the line at nonessential call outs. So if you call the fire brigades for burnt toast for example (common in large organisations as it sets off smoke detectors which results in an automoatic call out) or the tea towel example above then you have to pay $600 for the call out. If it is a genuine call out for a fire that is dangerous/highly likely to become dangerous very quickly there is no charge. They have a similar rule with ambulances (e.g. you get charged if you call an ambulance to take you the the A&E that isn’t life threatening like a broken leg). It strikes a good balance between keeping resources well funded but not discouraging genuine call outs. The free at the point of access is just a part of a larger accessibility issue. People who fixate on free st the point of access risk making the service inaccessible or very poor quality due to overuse or funding constructions.

I am laughing at the notion of a certificate of chimney cleaning

Are you? It's a condition of my buildings insurance that the chimney is swept once a year. Presumably this is a common clause, as all the chimney sweeps I've used have given me a certificate without me even asking.

My Mum has a log burner and the house insurance wants proof it’s been swept every year so she has to get a certificate. I don’t know if it’s a standard thing on house insurance now?

I'm in rented, reallybadidea, so I have no idea what t&c may apply to our buildings insurance. My ll have not conveyed any such conditions to me, but of course I get it done annually anyway. Last time it took ages to get an appointment, sweeps are a dying breed round here.

I am laughing at the notion of a certificate of chimney cleaning

what kind of companies doesn't provide you with one nowadays? I have used various ones over the years, and they all provided one without asking!

Yes, our chimney sweep gave us our certificate of sweeping with grave warnings to keep it safe, as not having your chimney swept each year invalidates your insurance in case of a chimney fire.

And thank you for reminding me to book him in, it was about this time last year we got it swept (before putting the stove in).

If your LL is providing you with a fire/woodburner and not arranging an annual sweep, then he/she is an absolute cowboy.

OK, OK, I'll ask for a certificate next time!

Honestly, I'd be more worried about what else isn't being done! Is the boiler being serviced? Do you have a CO alarm?

But don't you see its a world apart a BBQ accidentally setting on fire compared to not bothering to get your chimney swept for 3 years when everyone knows it's a fire risk not having it done once a year.

It's apples and oranges.

The free at the point of access is just a part of a larger accessibility issue. People who fixate on free st the point of access risk making the service inaccessible or very poor quality due to overuse or funding constructions.
Totally agree with you

Yes, our chimney sweep gave us our certificate of sweeping with grave warnings to keep it safe, as not having your chimney swept each year invalidates your insurance in case of a chimney fire.

What if the certificate burns when a house burns down? I realise I sound facetious, I’m genuinely wondering!

i'd say your right on the point

knob didn't have his chimney swept, uses it non stop = causes chimney fire

Genuinely never heard of a certificate, we always just do it ourselves, it's not rocket science.

So that guy with the broken leg, not life threatening, gets charged for a trip to hospital? Where is that?

Where I come from they draw the line at nonessential call outs. So if you call the fire brigades for burnt toast for example (common in large organisations as it sets off smoke detectors which results in an automoatic call out) or the tea towel example above then you have to pay $600 for the call out.*
*
It's the same for us.

Yes, reallybadidea, the (oil) boiler is serviced annually by ll, we have CO detectors, hardwired smoke/heat detectors, our deposit is properly protected, ll are very professional. We just arrange our own chimney sweeping, like we do our own bog cleaning and decorating. (We are also not subject to "inspections").

I know a few people who sweep their own chimneys, obviously they can't give themselves a certificate. Not heard of needing one in the UK, maybe it's just not something asked for by companies I've been insured by.

I agree with a pp about sometimes you have to make jokes about bad situations, it's just the way some people deal with things.

What if the certificate burns when a house burns down? I realise I sound facetious, I’m genuinely wondering!

The chimney sweep has a carbon copy and I would hope that they would provide this if asked. However I take a photo of it on my phone too, as with other documents that we don't have electronic copies of, like our car registration documents, mortgage documents etc.

I am laughing at the notion of a certificate of chimney cleaning, I've had open fires of one sort or another for over 30 years, used the services of many sweeps over that time and have never so much had a receipt for payment, let alone a professional certificate.

I don't know what's so funny about that. Imagine having your house burnt down and your insurance company won't pay out because you can't prove that you did basic maintenance?

More to the point, are cock rings really metal?!

What if the certificate burns when a house burns down? I realise I sound facetious, I’m genuinely wondering! We keep all essential stuff like passports etc in a fire safe box! But yes the chimney sweep should be able to provide a copy if that did happen.