Speakers: Apply Online for CEUs
Certified Chimney Sweeps: 
CEU Record Sheet
CEU Renewal Form
ELIGIBILITY
Annual Certification Requirements
Upon earning the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® credential, your certification is valid for one year from your exam date. You will need to recertify annually by paying the annual certification fee. This fee will be invoiced annually prior to your expiration date. Please note that your credential will require renewal every three years by submittal of the minimum 48 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in accordance with the CSIA Credential Renewal Policy or by passing the certification exam and, effective 9/1/09, submitting a minimum of 9 CEUs.
If your annual certification fee is not paid prior to your certification expiration date, your credential will be considered lapsed and you will immediately lose all rights and privileges of the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® credential. The following terms will then apply if reinstatement of the credential is desired:
If you do not pay your annual certification fee by your expiration date, the following timeline will begin:
· Within 90 days from the date of expiration, if you submit payment in full for the annual
certification fee, your credential will be reinstated and you will be considered in good
standing as a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep®, maintaining your original annual expiration date;
· If more than 90 days transpires beyond your expiration date, you will be required to test again and pay the current testing fee as well as the annual certification fee. Doing so will reinstate your previous annual certification expiration date.
· If more than 12 months transpires beyond your expiration date, you will be required to either participate in a CSIA approved certification review course or submit evidence of 9 CEUs that were accumulated during the time your credential was active or within 90 days of your certification expiration date. In addition you will be required to pass the CSIA certification exam. Upon successful completion of these criteria, a new certification number will be assigned.
CONTINUING EDUCATION:
STAYING CURRENT WITH THE LATEST TRENDS AND STANDARDS
Through state and regional conventions, vendor training and installation seminars, the NCSG Annual Convention and Trade Show, and other special events, today's chimney service professionals have both the opportunity and the responsibility to take advantage of additional education and training.
A CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® must retake the certification examination every three years to maintain CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® status including attaining a minimum of 9 CEUs. As an alternative, and to add to his or her body of knowledge, a sweep may renew their credential by accumulating the appropriate number of continuing education units or credits.
The Continuing Education Credential Renewal Program is a voluntary alternative to re-testing every three years by written exam and is offered to all CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps® in good standing following their initial credentialing period. The program was developed with the idea to encourage more direct involvement of the individual sweep and continue to build his or her level of industry expertise.
Requirements
The participant is required to obtain a minimum of 48 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in a three-year period in order to renew their credential with this program. CEUs will be offered for attendance/ participation in seminars and programs approved by the CSIA CEU Committee.
The material accepted into the program must fall into one or more of these five areas of focus:
· Technical
· Codes & Standards
· Communication & Liability
· Health & Safety
· Business (Business CEUs are elective, not required.)
To ensure the program is well rounded, minimum category requirements are:
· Technical - 12
· Codes & Standards - 12
· Communication & Liability - 6
· Health & Safety - 6
· Additional in ANY category (including Business) - 12
48 TOTAL CEUs
Once the minimum CEUs have been met in each of these categories, the remaining balance can be accumulated in any or all categories, including Business. Business CEUs may not be used to meet minimum category requirements in Technical, Codes & Standards, Communication & Liability and Health & Safety.
This policy became effective 1/1/06.
CSIA Certification Reviews
Six CEUs will be credited to individuals who take the CCS onsite review and pass the test. This applies to new certifications and renewals. The CEUs will apply to the new three-year credentialing cycle only and cannot be carried forward. The categories are: 2 Technical, 2 Codes & Standards, 1 Health & Safety and 1 Communication & Liability. If the participant fails the initial test, CEUs will only be awarded if the test is retaken and passed within the one year period per the Credential Renewal policy.
Ten CEUs will be credited to individuals who take and pass the CCS online review and pass the test. This applies to new certifications and renewals. The CEUs will apply to the new three-year credentialing cycle only and cannot be carried forward. The categories are: 2.5 Technical, 2.5 Codes & Standards, 2.5 Health & Safety and 2.5 Communication & Liability. If the participant fails the initial test, CEUs will only be awarded if the test is retaken and passed within the one year period per the Credential Renewal policy.
CSIA Certification Policy
If you fail the certification exam, you must wait 30 days to re-take the exam. You can re-take the exam at any time within one year of your original exam date subject to a $70 testing fee. If you wait more than one year to re-test, you will then be required to pay the annual certification fee as well as the testing fee. A candidate that fails the exam 3 times in a one year period must wait one year before taking the exam again.
National Chimney Sweep Training School
Candidates enrolled in the National Chimney Sweep Training School who pass the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® exam will receive 16 CEUs (four in each required category) to be used toward their credential renewal during the current three-year cycle.
NFI / Hearth CEU Reciprocity
As of 2/23/05, CSIA will accept credits earned from approved NFI/HEARTH courses to be counted toward CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® credential renewal, provided such courses have been pre-approved by the CSIA CEU Committee.
The NFI/HEARTH credits must be earned in the same three-year CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® credentialing cycle.
ENROLLEES’ RESPONSIBILITY
Each CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® is responsible for maintaining a record of their CEUs. Continuing Education Audits may be performed randomly at the discretion of CSIA after the submission of CEU renewal forms. If randomly selected for audit, you will receive a written notification requesting that you submit documentation of your continuing education for the previous credentialing cycle. Once your CEU documentation is received and reviewed you will receive written notification of the results. If you are unable to provide documentation of your Continuing Education Units upon request, or an audit results in an unsatisfactory finding, you will be required to take and pass the certification examination and submit a minimum of 9 CEUs within 60 days of notification.
NCSG members that accumulate 12 credits or more over the minimum of 48 will receive an additional “Over & Above” patch.
Participants that do not accumulate the required minimum of 48 CEUs during the three-year period will forfeit the credits. In order to renew your credential, you must take the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® Certification Exam.
Once a credential has been renewed, all CEU credits acquired during the three-year renewal cycle will be forfeited. There will be no carryover of accumulated CEU credits.
RENEWAL TIME PERIODS
If you renew your credential within the 6 months prior to your expiration date, you will receive the same monthly renewal date. If you do not renew within 90 days after the expiration date, you will lose your monthly renewal date. When your certification expires, so do the referrals from the CSIA office and the Internet web site.
CEUs will not be accepted for credential renewal purposes beyond 90 days after the certification expiration date. In order to renew your credential after the 90 days, you will be required to take the Certification Exam to become a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® once again.
When the credential renewal takes place within 12 months of expiration, the certification number will remain the same. If the certification is allowed to lapse for more than 12 months, a new certification number will be assigned.
REPEAT CLASSES
Participants may not earn CEU credits for classes repeated during the three-year Credential Renewal cycle. Examples would be: D&D, Ahrens Masonry School, National Chimney Sweep Training School, F.I.R.E., etc.
Exceptions (but not limited to):
· Classes that have significant changes in content: The instructor must submit a new CEU Application for Course Credit and corresponding course summary and outline.
(i.e. Codes and Standards Updates)
· CPR or First Aid classes (sponsored by the American Red Cross or other accredited organizations) that issue two-year certifications
PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS
Description of Activities
CEUs may be awarded when professional sweeping publications authored by a current CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® are submitted. The CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep’s® responsibility in the publication may be authorship, co-authorship, or editorial. The item to be published may be a book, chapter in a book, paper, or article, etc. The item may be published in a book, journal, professional organization’s national or local newsletter, newspaper or magazine, etc. The subject matter must fall under one or more of the current CEU categories to be considered for approval. CEUs may be awarded for published articles and are subject to CEU committee review and approval.
CEUs Awarded
CEUs for joint authorships will be determined by dividing the number of CEUs by the number of authors.
Number of CEUs awarded:
· Article in SWEEPING magazine 1.00 – 4.00
· Writing a CSIA published brochure 1.00 – 4.00
· Article in other industry related magazine 1.00 – 2.00
· Editorial in an industry journal/magazine 1.00 – 2.00
· Article in a local newsletter or newspaper 1.00 – 2.00
The number of credits awarded will depend on the content and length of the submitted material. Inaccurate or misleading material/articles will not be approved for CEUs.
If the publication is not in SWEEPING, a copy of the published article must be submitted for consideration.
There is a limit of 3 articles/brochure publications allowed for credit in a three-year renewal cycle. No more than 12 total credits in the three-year renewal cycle will be allowed.
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS
Description of Activities
CEUs may be awarded to acknowledge the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep’s® participation as an instructor delivering content to sweeps and other industry-related professionals or to the generalpublic. The presentation must be delivered within a structured framework of teaching/learning. Participation may be as a primary instructor, member of a team, guest lecturer, or panel of participants etc.
A presentation may include seminar, conference, public educational program and/or consumer education program. The presentation must be a pre-approved course having a CEU Application for Course Credit submitted online at least 30 days prior to the seminar.
CEUs will be subject to verification of the presentation.
CEUs AWARDED
CSIA Accredited Courses
CSIA Instructor(s) teaching a CSIA accredited course will receive the same CEUs that are awarded to the students for that course. The CEUs are subject to the same guidelines and limitations in the certification cycle as the students.
Other Courses
Instructor(s) presenting courses that are not CSIA accredited will be awarded CEUs on an individual basis. The CEUs awarded are subject to the same guidelines and limits for CSIA accredited course presentations.
To receive credits for a course presentation, a completed CEU Application for Course Credit, course outline and any handout materials must be submitted online at least 30 days prior to the seminar for approval. (See “CEU Application for Course Credit”or go to http://www.csia.org/ceuapplication.)
The CEU credits will be awarded, if approved, in the same categories that are currently available in the Credential Renewal Program.
ACADEMIC CREDIT COURSES
Description of Activities
Academic courses offered by an accredited college, university, state, national or locally approved courses may qualify for CEUs. These courses should address the knowledge base of the chimney/ venting professional. The course content should address chimney, venting and/or IAQ concepts. Examples would include chimney sweeping, inspections, masonry, CPR, First Aid, dryer exhaust duct service and installations, indoor air quality issues, etc.
Copies of appropriate attendance verification must accompany any consideration for CEUs from any Academic Credit Courses from the sponsor or organization presenting the course.
A CEU Application for Course Credit must be filled out online by or with the help of the instructor(s) with contact information of the instructor(s) for verification and/or clarification purposes at least 30 days prior to the seminar. A copy of the course outline and/or summary, or other appropriate materials (handouts) should be submitted to verify the course content.
All credits are subject to approval by the CSIA CEU Committee.
PROGRAM INTEGRITY
Attendance and Documentation Procedures
The sponsoring organization will be responsible for the completion of the sign in sheet that must be forwarded to the CSIA office by either fax or US Mail following the completion of the class or convention. If this is not completed and returned to the CSIA Office, the credits may be disqualified for all attendees for that class.
It is the responsibility of the sponsoring organization to monitor attendance at these courses within the CSIA Credential Renewal Guidelines. That means attendees must not arrive any later than 5 minutes after the start of the course and they may not leave the course for more than 5 minutes per hour for personal reasons.
If there is a question of the attendees coming and going without proper monitoring, the entire course may be disqualified for all attendees. The integrity of the education program must be a priority for all involved.
Forms should be completed and returned to:
Chimney Safety Institute of America
2155 Commercial Drive
Plainfield, IN 46168
CSIA Certification Denial or Revocation Policy
The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) Certification Denial or Revocation Policy allows the CSIA to deny a candidate’s application for any CSIA credential or to revoke any CSIA credential for certain specified forms of misconduct. The Policy is intended to maintain the CSIA’s integrity and to ensure that the criteria for denial or revocation of applications for CSIA credentials are consistently applied. This policy applies to all candidates for CSIA certification and to anyone certified by CSIA.
An application for certification may be denied, or CSIA credential may be revoked, where CSIA in its sole judgment, finds that an applicant or individual certified by CSIA:
· Has knowingly misrepresented or falsified material information in connection with an application for certification or certification renewal, the CSIA credential, Continuing
Education approval, or other materials or information submitted to CSIA.
· Has knowingly engaged in inappropriate conduct in connection with the certification process or renewal of the certification process, including, but not limited to: (1) noncompliance with payment procedures or instructions and/or (2) any other form of cheating or misconduct that compromises the integrity of CSIA and the certification process.
· Has violated the CSIA Code of Ethics.
· Has been convicted of a crime, where the conduct forming the basis of such conviction has involved of such severity that CSIA determines is inconsistent with the standards required of an individual certified by CSIA.
APPLICATION FEES
Credential Renewal by CEUs
NCSG Members ……………………………………………………... $269.00
Annual Certification Fee ……………………………………………..$199.00
Standard……………………………………………….........….…….. $469.00
Annual Certification Fee ……………………………………………..$249.00
Fees are subject to change without notice. The credential renewal by CEUs fee is for processing and is non-refundable. The fees listed above do not include voluntary Certification Review programs offered by the CSIA.
PROGRAM FUNCTION
CEU Application for Course Credit
Each course instructor(s) must submit a CEU Application for Course Credit online for approval each time a class is presented. If the course objective, summary and instructor qualifications have not changed, “on file” may be inserted where appropriate. Exceptions would be repetitive courses sponsored by the CSIA or other industry courses that have been approved and have no significant changes in the curriculum.
In a combined effort between the CSIA and NFI, instructors will now submit course information to be considered for CEUs from both the CSIA & NFI Continuing Education Programs online at http://www.csia.org/ceuapplication. The online application for course credit will require length of the course (total teaching times not including breaks), a complete detailed outline and all handouts for the course. Incomplete applications may not receive CEU Credits.
Application deadline is 30 days prior to course date, or CEUs may not be approved. All applications must be complete.
NFI and CSIA are independent certification agencies that work cooperatively to serve the needs of their industry's professionals. This joint application reflects the similarity of their interests and their shared commitment to ongoing education.
For questions or help with applying for CEUs, contact:
Bo Tasso, CEU Committee Chair
9368 E. Big Mound Rd.
Stillman Valley, IL 61084-9755
Phone: (815) 645-8103
Cell Phone: (815) 262-3685
E-mail: Bo@botasso.com
Curriculum Assessment
The CSIA CEU Committee will review the presented material and will be responsible for approving, rejecting or requesting additional information.
The CSIA CEU Committee will be working on five specific areas of focus:
· Technical
· Codes & Standards
· Communication & Liability
· Health & Safety
· Business
Application Approval
The online process submits the program to both organizations for review for applicable content. If an application is approved, you will receive a separate email from each organization. If approved, the CEU credits will be awarded in the same categories that are currently available in the Credential Renewal program.
Regional/State Guild Curriculum Review Procedure
Material presented by speakers and class instructors from either regional or State Guild programs may be included in the CSIA Continuing Education Program if the following criteria are met:
· Presented material meets one or more of the areas of focus.
· The CSIA CEU Committee reviews speakers’ material.
· Sponsors/Instructors of the classes must meet the same control and attendance procedures recommended by the CSIA CEU Committee and CSIA office staff.
If classes and all related material are submitted prior to the 30-day deadline, the CSIA will produce certificates or other material labeled with the dates, CEU credits and category for the credits. The CEU candidates are responsible for maintaining a copy and their own records of CEUs obtained.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Credential –Refers to an individual’s successful achievement of the criteria necessary to be considered a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep. The credential must be renewed according to the CSIA Credential Renewal Policy every 3 years.
Credentialing Year – Refers to the initial year you earn your credential or the year in which your credential is due for renewal (every 3 years).
Credential Renewal – The act of renewing your credential every 3 years in accordance with the CSIA Credential Renewal Policy. Credential numbers remain the same as long as the credential does not lapse for longer than a 12 month period.
Certification Fee – As a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep, CSIA grants you a royalty-free license to use the program’s associated trademarks in your professional advertising and acknowledges your credential in its public internet search utility. Payment of this annual fee is required to retain this license and receive this listing. This fee is due on the annual anniversary of the month you earned your credential. When earning or renewing your credential, this fee is included in the credentialing fee.
Certification Expiration Date – Refers to the annual anniversary date of earning your credential. This date occurs at the end of the month
Lapse – Refers to the status of your credential if it is not renewed or the Annual Certification Fee is not paid. All rights and privileges associated with the credential are immediately withheld until the necessary criteria are met.
Reinstated – Refers to meeting the criteria necessary to bring a lapsed credential current and restoring all rights and privileges provided the credential has not lapsed for more than a 12 month period.
Revocation – Refers to the disciplinary withdrawal of a individual’s credential by the CSIA Board of Directors or its designee in accordance with the CSIA Certification Denial and Revocation Policy.
CSIA CODE OF ETHICS
I fully acknowledge that the certification by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) carries with it certain responsibilities and obligations. In this regard, I pledge:
· To learn and to utilize all venting and chimney safety practices and techniques that are promoted by CSIA.
· To render my services in an honest and fair manner and to refrain from engaging in deceptive practices or making any deceptive statements.
· To comply with all applicable building codes in the areas I service, with the manufacturer’s instructions for the products I install, and with recognized venting and chimney practices.
· To promote and educate consumers about safe chimney and venting practices.
· To strive to continually update my knowledge, skills, and technique with regard to currently accepted venting and chimney safety practices.
· To conduct myself in a decent, respectful, and professional manner when serving in my capacity as a chimney sweep, or when attending a function or event of an organization in the chimney or hearth products industry.
· To comply with the proper usage of the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® Trademark as defined in the CSIA Trademark Use Guidelines document.
I agree to accept and abide by the CSIA Code of Ethics as a standard in rendering services as a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep®. I further acknowledge that if I am a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® I am responsible for maintaining my annual certification fee.
Code of Ethics Revised: 02/23/06