The photograph is for illustrative purposes.

Finding a chimney sweep in certain parts of Croatia has become almost impossible.

Because of this, the Municipality of Viškovo was unable to find a new concessionaire to inspect the condition of chimneys and flue systems, so it ultimately established its own chimney sweeping service. As reported by HRT, after a series of unsuccessful tenders they managed to hire only one chimney sweep.

Residents waited years for the service

Chimney sweep Siniša Crnković now responds to calls within a short time, but he has more than enough work. In one year, he inspected and cleaned around 800 chimneys, and each user received an official report. One resident of Viškovo says that establishing the service is a big deal because for years it was almost impossible to reach a chimney sweep.

An inspection can prevent a fire

Regular cleaning is not just a matter of tidiness, but also of safety. An authorized chimney sweep can detect damage that is not visible to the naked eye and prevent a fire or the buildup of dangerous carbon monoxide. 'It would be wise to call an authorized chimney sweep to do that,' Crnković told HRT.

Reinforcements arriving before winter

One chimney sweep currently covers the needs of the municipality with about 16 thousand residents and thousands of chimneys. Before the start of the heating season, an experienced female chimney sweep should join him, and the municipal company plans to train some of its employees so that the service can be expanded. Viškovo has thus solved an urgent problem, but at the same time it has shown how much Croatia lacks qualified craftsmen.

Young people rarely choose this trade

The shortage of chimney sweeps is a consequence of weak interest among young people, but also of the fact that some students do not remain in the profession after finishing school. According to the main central news program of RTL television, RTL Danas, the program is regularly conducted only by the Crafts and Industrial Construction School in Zagreb, which enrolled only five students in one of its latest generations, out of the planned six places.

Young people often consider this trade dirty, difficult, and dangerous, although after completing their education they are almost certain to have a job waiting for them. Because of such a small number of new workers, the departure of every experienced chimney sweep further increases the problem.