Sprinkler recall affects state facilities

Mike Meizel, state building and grounds administrator, said his crews have begun the process of identifying state buildings with the potentially faulty sprinklers.

"I think it's going to be a pretty big deal for the whole state," he said. "We do have quite a few of those (sprinklers)."

The Consumer Product Safety Commission ordered a recall of the devices after tests showed they could fail to operate in a fire. The sprinklers are manufactured by Omega.

State Risk Manager Randy Watermann said state buildings, prisons and universities may have the faulty sprinklers.

"At this point we don't know how many we have," he said. "We know for sure that Lovelock Prison has a ton of them."

The state faces an August deadline to file claims.

Watermann said he wants to identify problem sprinklers and file claims as soon as possible so the company will bear the cost of replacing them.

"We want to get our claim in much earlier than that (August) so that hopefully most or all of the cost will be borne by Omega," he said.

"You're talking about a lot of facilities and, to change a head, it's got to be a certified technician. That can get expensive."

Watermann said he has asked state agencies to compare their sprinklers with a list of problem sprinklers released by Omega.

archive