by Laura Heald

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Chimney Sweep
   Once a year Heiko Kirmis gets to perform his favorite part of his job.
     As a Master Chimney Sweep and a member of the Chimney Sweep Guild in Berlin, Kirmis works once a year to train apprentices who are in their third year of study.
     “I really like sharing the knowledge,” Kirmis said.  “The teaching is my favorite part of the job.”
     All other parts of his job, which include cleaning chimneys, checking gas emissions and helping his clients with heating problems, are all necessary but not as enjoyable as teaching, Kirmis said.
     The apprenticeship for a chimney sweep in Berlin lasts three years and includes schooling as well as on-site training.
     “I teach the apprentices how to use certain tools and find weaknesses in a chimney and how to fix those weaknesses,” Kirmis said.
     One of the tools he teaches the apprentices to use is the chimney camera.
     A chimney camera has a small camera attached to a long line of wire and is dropped down a chimney in order to inspect the chimney for holes and fallen bricks.
     “The chimney camera is good because it allows us to easily see problems and know where they are,” Kirmis said.
     While teaching is Kirmis’ favorite part of his job, he concedes that he cannot do it often because he doesn’t get paid to teach.
     “Working with apprentices is voluntary,” Kirmis said.  “I do it because I enjoy it but, unfortunately, it does not pay so I cannot do it as often as I would like.”