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Recalled fire sprinklers still in service: CPSC's September 2026 notice
On September 24, 2026 the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the manufacturer's successor asked every building owner to inspect their fire sprinklers now. The reason is a recall that closed in 2007: 35 million O-ring sprinkler heads made from the mid-1970s to June 2001, plus 8.4 million Omega heads recalled in 1998, that can fail to open in a fire. The notice says "a significant number of unremediated recalled sprinklers may remain in service" and cites a July 2025 fire at an assisted living facility in Massachusetts in which, in CPSC's words, "the fire claimed the lives of ten residents." This page gives the figures, the model lists and the markings from CPSC's own documents.
What CPSC said on September 24, 2026
| Item | As printed |
|---|---|
| Who is asked to act | Building owners and managers, homeowners' associations, facility administrators, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and similar organizations; the sprinklers were installed in "homes, residential facilities, and commercial buildings across the United States" |
| What to do | "Inspect all building fire sprinklers immediately" for recalled heads; "replace all recalled sprinklers using a qualified fire-protection professional"; review maintenance records |
| Why now | A fire on July 13, 2025 at an assisted living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts; CPSC writes that the facility had not replaced dozens of recalled heads and that "the fire claimed the lives of ten residents and injured dozens more" |
| The failure | Minerals, salts and other contaminants degrade the rubber O-ring seal, "which can cause the sprinkler heads to fail to activate during a fire" |
| Status of the remedy | The replacement program ran from July 2001 (modified May 2003) and closed August 31, 2007; CPSC's position is that "a significant number of unremediated recalled sprinklers may remain in service" |
The notice names no model and prints no count of heads still installed. The counts below are from the recall documents it links to.
The recalls behind the notice
| Recall | Heads and years made | What CPSC reported at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Central O-ring, wet (01-201), July 19, 2001 | 33 million; 1989 to 2000 | 4 reports of wet heads failing to activate in a fire; two property damage claims across wet and dry; laboratory testing found most would operate but some needed more water pressure than a building may have |
| Central O-ring, dry (01-201), July 19, 2001 | 2 million; mid-1970s to June 2001 | 9 reports of dry heads failing to activate; CPSC's page adds that dry heads should be tested and replaced if necessary at least every 10 years |
| Gem wet and Star dry O-ring (01-201), July 19, 2001 | About 167,000; 1995 to 2001 (Star dry 1996 to 1998) | Added to the same program |
| Program update (03-133), May 28, 2003 | The same 35 million | Owners allowed to use their own contractor, with reimbursement, after notifying the company; "replacement program ended August 31, 2007" |
| Omega (99-008), October 14, 1998 | Approximately 8.4 million; made since 1982 | "Between 30 and 40 percent of Omegas removed" for testing failed to activate; in some buildings every Omega tested failed; 17 fires, at least four injuries, over $4.3 million in property damage; installed in homes, schools, hospitals, dormitories, nursing homes, prisons, offices and hotels; CPSC now says "recall remedy no longer available. Discard the product." |
How a recalled head is identified
CPSC's 2001 notice says the O-ring heads carry the word "CENTRAL" or "STAR", the letters "CSC", the letter "G" inside a triangle, or a star-shaped symbol, stamped on the frame or the deflector, where the model designation and a date may also appear. The model names it lists are reproduced here as printed, because they are what a contractor reads off the head.
| Family | Models as printed by CPSC |
|---|---|
| Central wet, 1989 to 2000 | GB, GB4-FR, GB-R1, BB2, ELOC, ELO-GB QR, GB-J, GB4-EC, GB-RS, BB3, ESLO, LD, GB-1, GB4-QREC, GB-R, SD1, ELO SW-20, K17-231, GB-ALPHA, GB-20, ROC, SD2, ELO SW-24, Ultra K17, GB4, GB-20 QR, BB1 17/32, SD3, ESLO-20 GB, ELO-16 GB, GB-QR, GB-LO, BB2 17/32, HIP, ELO-231 GB, GB MULTI-LEVEL, GBR-2, LF, BB3 17/32, WS, ELO-GB, GB-QR MULTI-LEVEL, GB-EC, GBR, BB1, ELO-LH, ELO-231 GBQR, ELO-16 GB FR |
| Central dry, mid-1970s to June 2001 | A-1, GB, GB4-EC, ELO-16 GB, H-1, GB-QR, GB4-QREC, ELO-16 GB FR, J, GB4, ELO-231 GB, K, GB4-FR, ELO-GB QR |
| Gem wet, 1995 to 2001 | F927 |
| Star dry, 1996 to 1998 | ME-1, SG, SG-QR, Q, Q-QR |
| Omega, since 1982 | The 1998 notice uses the brand name and lists no model table |
The lists are CPSC's; whether a given head is a recalled unit is a determination CPSC assigns to a qualified fire-protection professional, and its release points owners to the manufacturer's notice page for the identification steps.
NFPA 25 in the Citation Decoder · NFPA 13 · Why sprinklers fail: the NFPA figures
What this means for a hotel or a condominium
| The fact | The item it points to |
|---|---|
| 35 million O-ring heads made from the mid-1970s to June 2001, and 8.4 million Omegas made since 1982 | Any sprinkler system installed or extended before mid-2001 is in scope. The first document is the as-built or the original contractor's submittal, which names the heads; the second is the record of whether the 2001 to 2007 replacement program was ever carried out in the building |
| CPSC: "inspect all building fire sprinklers immediately" | A head-by-head walk by the sprinkler contractor, reading the frame and deflector stamps, is a specific task to put in writing alongside the annual NFPA 25 inspection; the written report, with the count of heads checked and the count found recalled, is the record |
| The failure is a degraded seal inside the head | CPSC's 2001 page reports that in laboratory testing most heads operated but some needed more water pressure than a building may have, which is why the remedy was replacement. The contractor and the fire marshal confirm what replacement is required |
| The remedy program closed in 2007; the Omega remedy is "no longer available" | Replacement is now at the owner's cost. A quote from a licensed fire-protection contractor, and a dated plan, are what an insurer or the authority having jurisdiction will ask to see |
| Dry heads: test and replace if necessary at least every 10 years (CPSC's 2001 page) | Dry sprinklers protect the loading dock, the parking garage, the walk-in freezer and the attic; the sampling and replacement record for them is a separate line in the NFPA 25 file |
Which heads must be replaced, and by when, is decided by the fire marshal under the fire code adopted where the building stands (in Florida, the Florida Fire Prevention Code, Chapter 69A-60), applying NFPA 25 and NFPA 13 as adopted; a licensed fire-protection contractor makes the identification. This page restates a federal product-safety notice; it is not an assessment of any system.
What is not on this page, and why
The facility in the July 2025 fire, the people involved and any party to litigation are not named; CPSC's release names the place and the date, which are given above so the document can be found. The manufacturer's own notice page (tyco-fire.com) is referenced by CPSC but is a company site, so nothing is restated from it. CPSC prints no estimate of how many recalled heads remain installed, and none is offered here. NFPA code text is not quoted; the standards are paraphrased. The underlying investigation of the Massachusetts fire belongs to that state's fire marshal and is not restated here.
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Reference only. This page restates a published official document; it is not legal advice and not an assessment of any property. Confirm requirements with the official text linked above, your authority having jurisdiction and your own counsel. Mason Mathews Facility Assurance, LLC · all reference pages · how our monitor reads sources.