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CNN Live At Daybreak

Is Your Sprinkler System Safe?

Aired July 19, 2001 - 07:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The first line of defense against fire in schools, nursing homes, and office buildings is usually a built-in sprinkler system. That instant attack of water can save thousands of lives.

Well, the Central Sprinkler Company is recalling and replacing 35 million sprinklers in public buildings because they may not work. This is the third largest replacement program in the history of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Ann Brown, of course, is chairwoman of that agency. And she is here with us from Washington.

Good morning, Ann.

ANN BROWN, CHAIRWOMAN, CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION: Good morning. Nice to be here.

LIN: So what happened with these sprinklers? Why did they -- why might they fail?

BROWN: Well, these are sprinklers with O-rings. And those are seals -- O-ring seals. And what happens is that these sprinklers' seals degrade over time. And that means that the sprinkler can fail to activate.

And as you said, sprinklers are your first line of defense. We want to make sure that sprinklers work. And we want people to have confidence in their sprinklers systems so that there aren't injuries and deaths from fires.

LIN: Well, how did you discover there was a problem? Was anybody hurt? Did anybody die?

BROWN: Actually there have not been injuries or deaths, but a company with a very good spirit came to us and said they wanted to recall these sprinklers. So we worked on a cooperative recall together. The company is paying, not only for the replacement sprinklers, but is going into every building that has these sprinklers and free of charge is replacing them.

LIN: How long is it going to take to replace all of these sprinklers, then? BROWN: Well, this is going to be a process that is happening over time. It's going to be an orderly process. You can imagine how complicated and complex 35 million sprinkler replacement would be.

But priority is going to be given, of course, to especially endangered populations, such as those in nursing homes or schools. And then they're going to be phased in.

There is time, though. This is not a matter for panic. It's a matter for concern, but not panic because these degrade over time. And most are working now, as we speak. However, we want to make sure that they continue working for the life of the sprinkler.

LIN: Well, of course, you know, if I was a parent sending my child off to school today or going to visit my elderly parent in a nursing home, I would be pretty concerned. If a fire did break out today, God forbid what might happen.

BROWN: Well, the wonderful thing about this is is that some of the sprinklers, a few, might not work -- the very old ones. But most of the sprinklers would work. So there isn't any imminent danger from this. This is a program that can be phased in safely over time. And the ones that they are attacking, first of all, would be any that show any corrosion or leakage or the older ones. So people are safe while this orderly process takes place.

LIN: All right. If parents have any questions, even if businesses have any questions, if they can't remember...

BROWN: Right.

LIN: ... you know, who installed their sprinkler system, who should they call?

BROWN: Well, there is, of course, a hot line number, but you could call the Consumer Products Safety Commission hot line or our Web site. And that's 1-800-638-2772. We will give you all the information and even help you to identify whether yours are the affected sprinklers.

LIN: And just a quick mention to our viewers, because you mentioned one number. We have a different number on our screen. It's for the Central Sprinkler Hot line...

BROWN: That's...

LIN: ... 800-871-3492. Of course they have a Web site: sprinklerreplacement.com. Who doesn't have a Web site these days?

Thanks so much, Ann.

BROWN: Thank you very much.

LIN: And fortunate cooperation with business and government.

Thanks so much, Ann Brown, Consumer Products Safety Commission. BROWN: Thank you.

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