Manufacturer Recalls Faulty Fire Sprinklers

The maker of the trouble-plagued Omega fire sprinkler reversed itself and agreed to recall millions of the devices already installed in schools, hotels and other buildings around the country. The sprinkler heads, produced by Central Sprinkler Co. of Lansdale, Pa., have failed to activate in at least nine fires in the last three years and have high failure rates in laboratory tests. In March, the Consumer Product Safety Commission filed a lawsuit to try to force the recall of about 10 million Omega heads. Central had argued that Omegas work and have controlled hundreds of fires since they went on the market 15 years ago.