THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 29, 1995 TAG: 9512280586
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 106 lines
WHEN SCOTT PRENTICE makes a house call, let's hope he's wearing his chimney sweep hat and not his fireman's hat.
Prentice, who has battled many blazes that began in chimneys, spends much of his free time cleaning them and educating homeowners about fire prevention and fire safety.
The owner and sole employee of Olde Virginia Chimney Sweep, Prentice said the two careers blend together naturally.
``I know about how fire burns and I know about fireplaces and wood stoves,'' 33-year-old Prentice said.
Plus, people trust him as a chimney sweep because he is a firefighter.
``I feel confident because this is his line of work,'' said Rachel Padon, a regular customer. ``He knows what to do about fires.''
When Prentice first inspected the chimney of the Padons' Virginia Beach farmhouse, he warned them of some problems that need to be fixed as they could cause a fire.
A short time later while on duty at the firehouse, a call went out for a chimney fire at the Padons'. Although he did not handle it because he doesn't work in their area, he rushed over when he was off duty.
``He told us it would happen and sure enough it did,'' Padon said.
Since then they've followed Prentice's recommendations.
Hiring Prentice to sweep your chimney doesn't mean he'll just scour away creosote buildup or remove animal nests. As a matter of routine, he also checks your smoke detectors and even installs them if you don't have them or need them replaced.
Prentice is big on smoke detectors. Of Virginia Beach's three fire fatalities this year, two did not have batteries in their smoke detectors.
In Prentice's own ranch home, he has nine smoke detectors. All are in working order.
``Nobody should ever spend the night without a smoke detector,'' Prentice said.
He also will sit down and talk to the homeowner about fire safety issues. He does not want to have to come back wearing his fireman's hat.
Prentice advises that if you ever do have a chimney fire, which sometimes is not apparent until a neighbor frantically bangs on your door because he sees flames billowing out of your chimney, call 911 immediately.
Then pour about 8 ounces of water in the fireplace to flush steam up the stack to help douse the flames. Pouring an entire bucket of water does not do much help.
Most chimney fires stay contained in the flue and eventually burn themselves out. However, the longer it burns, the more potential there is for damage and spreading.
Fireplaces should be inspected every year and, generally, cleaned every year.
However, fireplaces that are used only several times during the winter will not need cleaning as frequently. And wood-burning stoves or wood stove inserts that are used often need to be cleaned twice a year.
In the weeks before Christmas, Prentice often gets more questions from kids about their chimneys than their parents.
Their burning question is - How can Santa Claus come down the chimney when there's a fire roaring in the hearth?
Prentice usually suggests that the kids leave the front door unlocked for the jolly old elf, or ask their parents not to build a fire on Christmas Eve.
Or, he says, ``Santa can do some pretty miraculous stuff.''
Prentice has been a Virginia Beach fireman for 10 years and has had his chimney sweep business for five.
Growing up near a fire station outside of Pittsburgh, Prentice always wanted to be a fireman. In front of his Kempsville home, where he lives with his wife and three children, there's a firetruck mailbox at the curb and two old fire hydrants in his flower beds.
``I like to do stuff that a lot of people don't like to do,'' Prentice said. ``You know, things like running into a burning building when everyone is running out.
``And I'm just as comfortable standing on someone's chimney as sitting in my kitchen.''
Until recently, he also cleaned windows on high-rise buildings suspended only by ropes wrapped around his body.
Prentice is also a paramedic and works part time for an ambulance service as well as volunteers for the city's rescue squad.
Last spring, Prentice was among a group of rescue workers in the local FEMA team that spent five days searching through the rubble of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
And for kicks, Prentice bicycled 3,000 miles across the country in six weeks with three other firemen to raise money for the International Association of Firefighters Burn Foundation in Washington two summers ago.
``I like to work,'' Prentice said. MEMO: List of Fire Safety Tips
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos, including color cover, by D. Kevin Elliott
Hiring Prentice to sweep your chimney doesn't mean he'll just scour
away creosote buildup or remove animal nests. He also checks your
smoke detectors and even installs them if you don't have them or
meed them replaced.
Scott Prentice, A Virginia beach firefighter, is owner and sole
employee of Olde Virginia Chimney Sweep.
Last spring, Prentice was member of the local FEMA team that spent
five days searching through the rubble of the Federal Building in
Oklahoma City.
by CNB