Think you're safe from fire? Think again

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- They're considered one of the most effective ways to save property and lives from fire.

Yet many claim this very popular sprinkler head has failed while under fire.

A Marriott Corp. spokesman says the Omega Sprinkler didn't do its job at a Courtyard Hotel fire outside Detroit more than a year ago when it failed to go off during a small fire. A similar incident took place a few months later at a Veterans Administration medical facility in New York. No one was hurt, but the fires prompted a series of investigations.

The Omega's maker, Central Sprinkler Co. in Lansing, Pennsylvania, is one of the largest suppliers of sprinkler systems in the world. The Consumer Products Safety Commission is monitoring the situation, but the company believes the problem is not necessarily in the Omega sprinkler head, but in how house sprinkler systems are installed and maintained.

According to the Marriott spokesman, after the Michigan fire, the hotel chain worked with Central Sprinkler to replace every Omega Sprinkler head in its hotels throughout the world.

And in a surprising move, now Central Sprinkler wants to hear from the operators of every building with the Omega fire sprinklers to see if there have been similar failures.

According to a company statement: "Each and every building that has an Omega Sprinkler used with black steel pipe, we would like brought to our attention. We will have each building tested. The conditions that may exist are totally site-specific. There has never been a failure of an Omega Sprinkler in a fire scenario in the 15 years of the manufacture of the product for any reason other than illegal stop leak additives."

The company believes the Omega's problem has been with its O- ring, a portion of the sprinkler head that allows it to drop down and let water escape in the event of a fire.

Certain chemicals can affect the O-ring, causing it to not drop down. Chemicals that cause this problem are in stop leak additives, the type of products used to stop plumbing and car radiator leaks.

The company believes some people are using these products to repair their leaky sprinkler system. Using a stop leak product goes against all fire safety standards.

Central Sprinkler says similar chemicals can get into a sprinkler system during assembly of the sprinkler pipes.

But until all the Omega's O-rings can be examined, there's no guarantee the next fire won't end in disaster.

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