Proprietary Interests Policy

This policy aims to address intellectual and proprietary interests relevant to the Chimney Safety Institute of America Education (CSIA®).

CSIA has developed and implemented an education program that enables individuals within the chimney and venting industry to extend their knowledge and become a Certified Technician. CSIA is an organization that wants to create, design, and deliver superior education content for both in-person learning events and content through an eLearning platform, SureFire. CSIA has set forth the following principles with regard to instructor proprietary interests.

CSIA shall disclose, in advance of any learning event, any instructor’s proprietary interest in any product, instrument, device, service, or material to be discussed during the learning event and the source of any third-party compensation related to the presentation.

CSIA shall reference instructor proprietary interests appropriately in instructional materials it publishes. If no such proprietary/monetary interests exist, CSIA shall publish a disclaimer in marketing or instructional materials. CSIA retains the right to review and approve branding associated with any proprietary interests. Instructor/instructor’s employer branding will be limited.

Instructors shall not promote the exclusive use of any commercial product in published training materials or during training. Instructors’ discussion of their proprietary interests during instruction will be limited to relevant contexts and include consideration of alternative products or companies that are comparable to the instructor’s.

If an instructor acquires a proprietary interest after marketing materials have been produced and distributed for a learning event affected by this policy, the instructor shall provide and document written disclosure to the CSIA Director of Education.

Immediately upon being assigned to present a learning event, an instructor must disclose any existing proprietary interests relevant to the instructional assignment. Disclosure will be made to the CSIA Director of Education.

Violations of this policy will not be tolerated, and users will be banned from accessing and assisting in the delivery of our educational programs if evidence of a violation is obtained. CSIA Learners are encouraged to report incidents of non-compliance with this policy via email or Contact Us on our website.