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Learning about wood stove installation Wood Energy Technical Training program to be offered in Fort Simpson
Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, June 6, 2013
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
The Arctic Energy Alliance is looking for people who are interested in learning how to install wood and wood pellet stoves and chimneys.
The organization was going to offer the Wood Energy Technical Training (WETT) Program in Fort Simpson from the end of May into early June. However, only three people registered and at least six participants are required. The organization is now planning to reschedule the training for the fall. The dates for the program run from Sept. 23 to Oct. 4.
This is the first time the WETT program will be offered in the Deh Cho. The program is maintained by Wood Energy Technology Transfer Inc., a non-profit training and education association that promotes the safe and effective use of wood burning systems in Canada.
In Fort Simpson, the program will begin with an installation day followed by a three-day code compliance course, a two-day wood burning systems course, a one-day site basic inspections course and additional installation days. Participants must pass each course's test by 70 per cent in order to move on to the next one, said Donald Andre, a regional energy project co-ordinator for the Arctic Energy Alliance based in Inuvik.
Opportunity to make money
A number of benefits derive from the course and the installation training, Andre said. After 80 weeks of installations, participants become WETT technicians, a standard that is nationally recognized.
"This is an opportunity for them to make money," he said.
The certification and skills gained during the course enhance the chances of participants finding work, said Andre. Most participants in the course inspect or sell wood-burning appliances or have a trade or background experience, but none is necessary.
"More and more people are looking for this," he said.
Insurance companies are creating the need for WETT technicians. More of the companies are adopting the program's standards and requiring homeowners to follow them, said Andre.
Benefits to be had
There are also benefits to be had for people in the NWT.
"Residents of the territory will get a much higher quality of work and safety," he said, adding that many wood and wood pellet stoves in the NWT aren't compliant.
The Arctic Energy Alliance has offered the training in other communities, such as Inuvik, Behchoko and Hay River. Andre said he knows some of the previous students are now doing installations.
A WETT instructor will lead the course in Fort Simpson that will be limited to 12 participants. The program emphasizes following both WETT standards and the manufacturers' standards.
The installation days are important because that's when the students start to apply the knowledge they have learned, said Andre. The organization is looking for homeowners who want to have a wood or pellet stove installed. The homeowner must have all of the supplies purchased and on hand by a set date in order to qualify for the free installation.
"It's a really valuable opportunity," said Teresa Chilkowich, a regional energy project co-ordinator in the Deh Cho with the Arctic Energy Alliance.
All of the installations done during the course count toward the participants' accreditation. Those interested in joining the course, whether from the village or anywhere else in the territory, can contact Chilkowich at Dehcho First Nations' office in Fort Simpson.
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