If the thought of chimney sweeps triggers a pretty motion picture of Dick Van Dyke singing “Chim Chim Cheree” in Mary Poppins, don’t mention it to Jerry Forbes. 


“That’s fantasy,” grunts Forbes, who owns Morrill & Forbes Chimney Sweeps & Fireplaces. “We’re the reality.” 


Still, first impressions imply otherwise. With his tall black top hat, stately coattails and crisp button-up, Forbes looks more like a 19th-century icon than a contemporary smokestack cleaner. 


His outfit, modeled after the traditional sweep uniforms still worn in Europe, is his company’s trademark. 


“They were a bit theatrical at first,” he admits. “But it’s not a costume. It’s a uniform. There used to be a time when everyone – the gas attendant, the postman, the milkman – had a uniform.” 


There are other traditional traits to his operation. Morrill & Forbes is a family business, for one. In fact, the company’s logo is an old picture of Forbes with his son, who started accompanying his dad onto rooftops when he was just 3. 


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Forbes isn’t so traditional that he restricts himself to 18-century instruments to do his work. With a medley of respirator masks, flashlights and a giant double-filter vacuum in tow, he and his men trek through the parking lot toward one of Pebble Beach Lodge’s guest room buildings. Another sweep is already at work inspecting the flue from the roof. The door to the room is open, the offending chimney in plain sight. The fireplace and the surrounding floor have been entirely covered and taped. Forbes explains that this is to protect those areas from falling soot and grime as the sweep scrubs the top of the flue with a flat wire brush. 


A chimney problem led Forbes to the industry. He recalls watching helplessly as giant flames engulfed his home in 1971 – and having no idea what had caused it. A fireman who showed up at the scene informed Forbes that the disaster probably could have been prevented by a simple inspection. Forbes turned to the Yellow Pages in hopes of contacting a local chimney sweep, and was shocked by what he found. 


“There were no chimney sweeps,” he remembers, “Not one.” 


A free-lance photographer at the time (and a former journalist with the Los Angeles Herald Examiner), he began making trips to the library, where he read about chimney fires and cleaning processes. In 1974, Morrill & Forbes became the area’s first chimney sweeping business. It has since expanded to include installations and a showroom full of fireplaces, stoves and accessories.


Former Carmel Fire Chief Bill Hill has worked closely with Jerry and his wife Helen Forbes for more than 30 years. He chalks their company’s success up to “a great combination of Jerry being a technical expert and Helen being a great businesswoman.” 


Hill should know. In addition to his fire chief duties, he has a home with eight chimneys. 


“There have been many times Jerry pointed out hazards and fireplaces we had to stop using,” he admits. “He has always been generous with his advice.”


Back at the guestroom, one sweep in a full body suit and respirator mask heads into the fireplace with the monstrous vacuum. Looking on, Forbes rattles off tricks and tips, guidance and caution. He says there have been more chimney fires this year than any other year since he started business due to a combination of improper installations and a tough economy that has led many to avoid paying for inspections or cleanings. He insists the heavy concentration of sap in pine makes it the worst type of wood to burn (oak and almond wood, for their dryness, are the best). 


His interest in chimney sweeping guided Forbes in the direction of another hobby: photography. He explains that soaking in all of the rooftop views is one of the best perks of his career. Decades of roof-climbing has led to a hefty accumulation of photographs, the best of which he plans to publish in a book called Sweep’s Eye View of the Peninsula.


Vistas aren’t all Forbes has seen. Being able to check out the inside of people’s chimneys has given him plenty of surprises, including a collection of vessels halfway up the chimney.


“I once found a whole row of shot glasses sitting on the smoke shelf,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve never been able to figure that one out.”


Forbes will continue to share his one piece of advice more urgently than his photos: Don’t pass on inspections. Two years, tops, he adds, between services. 


“A lot of people are just unaware,” he says. “Sometimes I’ll show up and find that, had I not been there, the person’s place would have gone up in smoke.”


And that’s not so pretty a picture.


Morrill & Forbes is open 8am-5pm Monday-Friday and 10am-4pm Saturday at 26547 Carmel Rancho Blvd., Carmel. 625-1034, www.morrillandforbes.com