Central Sprinkler Voluntary Omega Sprinkler Replacement Program
Kinsella Media designed and implemented a voluntary replacement program for certain sprinkler heads installed in commercial and residential buildings. Central Sprinkler undertook the recall in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2001. The U.S. notice program targeted: a) current owners of residential property, and b) owners and/or operators of non-residential property, which included public and private entities and commercial property. Kinsella identified counties in the U.S. required by law to install fire sprinklers in new one-and two-family residential homes during the relevant period.
The multi-faceted U.S. notice program included broad national notice through consumer publications and earned media outreach as well as more intense targeted notice in those counties with legal requirements for sprinkler heads in new construction. Notice to commercial property owners was undertaken with extensive advertising in publications including Buildings Magazine, Commercial Property News and Office and Industrial Properties.
Replacement Notice Packages were sent related to all identifiable national fire safety and consumer organizations such as the Home Fire Coalition and the International Association of Fire Chiefs as well as to all individuals and organizations that identified themselves through the paid media program. Notice was also undertaken in Canada, a secondary market for the fire sprinklers manufactured by the company, through the use of national consumer publications and newspapers.
A second notice program in 2007 announced the end of the voluntary replacement program using national and local newspapers and selected trade organizations.
Prior to the replacement program, Kinsella undertook an extensive national notice program concerning Omega Sprinklers in the following two class actions settled in 1998:
Central Sprinkler Omega Sprinkler Product Recall and Settlement
Hart v. Central Sprinkler Corp.
No. BC17627 (Cal. Super. Ct. Los Angeles County) &
County of Santa Clara v. Central Sprinkler Corp.
No. CV 17710119 (Cal. Super. Ct. Santa Clara County)