FIRE SAFETY SERVICE UPDATE — HOUSING & PUBLIC SAFETY
Older sprinkler heads may still be recalled. Owners and managers should check the records—not the hardware.
CPSC and Tyco say certain Central, Gem and Star O-ring sprinkler heads recalled in 2001 may remain in homes and larger buildings. They can fail to activate in a fire.
Who should do what
- Possible equipment: certain Central, Gem and Star O-ring sprinkler heads manufactured from the mid-1970s through 2001.
- Owners and managers: review maintenance records and arrange inspection by a qualified, licensed fire-protection professional.
- Residents and tenants: notify the owner or manager if you have a concern; do not touch, test, unscrew or remove a head.
- If a recalled head is confirmed: have the professional replace it under the applicable fire-safety standards and codes.
- Remedy limit: the original replacement program ended August 31, 2007. The new warning does not announce a renewed free-replacement program.
Why this old recall is back in the news
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Tyco issued a new immediate-action warning on September 24. Minerals, salts and other water contaminants can degrade the rubber O-ring seal and keep an affected sprinkler head from opening at available water pressure during a fire.
The original recall covered about 35 million Central heads and about 167,000 Gem and Star heads. CPSC says a significant number of unremediated heads may remain in homes, apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, day care facilities, offices and other properties.
A logo alone is not a safe match
Historical marks may include CENTRAL, STAR, CSC, a G inside a triangle or a star-shaped symbol. Those marks alone do not establish that a sprinkler is recalled. The exact model, manufacture period and seal configuration matter.
Tyco's September 24 FAQ says the company began moving from O-ring seals to Belleville seals in 1998, while some model names stayed the same. Recalled-model heads dated 1998 or later therefore need professional inspection to determine which seal is present. Do not use an online photo or a nearby label as permission to disturb an active sprinkler system.
Use Rockland's contractor-license route
Rockland County's Office of Consumer Protection says it licenses fire-protection-system contractors and provides a public contractor lookup. Owners and managers can use the County consumer page and licensed-contractor lookup ↗ or call 845-364-3901 to verify a contractor's current license before arranging work.
Tyco's current notice links its 27-page identification guide, a technical replacement-head table and a September 24 FAQ. Questions can be sent to Central-Sprinkler-O-Ring-Notice@jci.com. The materials provide information; they do not turn sprinkler identification or replacement into a do-it-yourself task.
What is—and is not—known locally
No affected Rockland home, apartment building, school, hospital, nursing home or other property has been confirmed. The warning is relevant because these legacy heads were installed nationally across many building types, not because a local inspection failure or code violation has been established.
CPSC discusses a July 2025 assisted-living fire in Fall River, Massachusetts, where dozens of recalled heads had not been replaced after an earlier inspection. The federal release says the fire underscores the need for remediation; it does not say the recalled heads caused the deaths and injuries. This article does not make that inference.
What changes for a resident: owners and managers of older sprinklered buildings should review records and use a Rockland-licensed fire-protection professional to identify and replace any recalled heads; residents should not touch or test the equipment.
Primary sources: CPSC release 26-800 ↗, dated September 24, 2026; Tyco's current O-ring notice ↗, identification guide ↗, September 24 FAQ ↗ and replacement-head guide ↗; and the Rockland County Consumer Protection FAQ ↗. The live notice and all three manufacturer PDFs were downloaded and visually checked September 26, 2026, at 1:48 a.m. EDT. The identification brochure is a 27-page 2001 document; the current FAQ is three pages and dated September 24. Tyco's currently linked 12-page replacement table is headed “as of September 27, 2026,” one day after this check, so it is linked for qualified professionals and is not translated into consumer replacement instructions here. No affected Rockland building, fire, injury, inspection failure or code violation is confirmed.