Workshop scheduled to train for registered heater professional

The San Joaquin Valley Air District is holding a free training workshop Tuesday for those who want to be on its list of registered wood-burning heater professionals.

Valley residents who plan to use fireplaces and heaters that burn wood this winter need to register their devices with the air district first, in compliance with recent amendments to Rule 4901. The registration process requires verification from someone listed as a wood burning professional, and once approved allows the resident to burn wood from Nov. 1 to the end of February.

“We want to make sure that an adequate number of registered heater professionals are available to the community so that residents will be able to use their devices when they need to,” Seyed Sadredin, air pollution control officer, said in a statement.

During the workshop, district staff will explain the requirements and certifications that may be needed and how to inspect and verify a residential wood-burning device.

The workshop is open to those with a Chimney Safety Institute of America or National Fireplace Institute certification, or those who are a Fireplace Investigation Research and Education Certified Inspector. It is also open to those who have three years experience in the hearth industry working with wood-burning devices, such as hearth retailers, chimney sweeps, wood and pellet stove installers and licensed construction contractors.

The workshop will be video teleconferenced between the district’s three regional offices in Modesto, Fresno and Bakersfield at 5:30 p.m.

For more information, visit www.valleyair.org/rule4901 or call the Fresno office at (559) 230-6000.

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Workshop scheduled to train for registered heater professional."