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FIRE PROTECTION COMMENTS Tyco/Grinnell
Issue No. 7

November 2000
FPC
p e r i o d i c a l
A Public Service Provided By: 
LASER, INC. (Legal And Safety Employer Research)

Grinnell’s tangled involvement in the Omega Fire Sprinkler Scandal!

Defective sprinkler installations and monopolistic business practices
Last year, several newspapers and investigative TV shows like NBC’s Dateline TV described the Omega fire prevention sprinkler scandal. The Consumer Products Safety Commission recalled over 10 million Omega fire sprinklers, because many of the sprinklers failed to activate when a fire started. Captain Teeva of the Fairfax County Fire Department reported that not only did the Omega fire sprinkler head sometimes fail to activate to put out a fire, other times the fire sprinklers leaked and erupted when there was no fire causing extensive property damage.

Now there is evidence of Grinnell’s own involvement in the Omega Sprinkler fiasco. In August 26, 1999 Grinnell’s parent company Tyco actually purchased Central Sprinkler who manufactured the 

defective fire sprinkler heads giving Grinnell control over half the US market for sprinkler heads. A compliant against Grinnell in Boston charges that Grinnell installed without permits thousands of the suspect Omega Sprinklers. 

The Boston complaint states that the Boston Fire Department issued an abatement order against Grinnell and a City Hearing Examiner issued a formal warning against Grinnell.

The Boston complaint that was filed by a private citizen with several public agencies also charged that Grinnell’s replacement sprinklers for the suspect Omega’s would erupt and fully discharge for no reason. The complaint documented over 40 complaints of leaking sprinklers at one apartment house where Grinnell installed the fire sprinkler heads.

Grinnell Factory Catches Fire
One of the world’s largest fire protection equipment manufacturers was itself the victim of a fire recently. The Grinnell factory near Statesboro, Georgia suffered a transformer fire in their one story, brick building. The fire department from the small town of Clito responded to the 911 calls but they were unable to subdue the blaze by themselves.  Sixteen fire fighters from nearby departments rushed to the scene as heavy smoke and fire spewed from the transformer vault. The plant personnel scrambled to turn off the power and natural gas supply to the building to prevent a massive explosion. The firefighters ultimately subdued the blaze with water and foam but not before the roof sustained heavy damage. The two transformers were totaled.

This is the second fire in recent years at facilities owned by Grinnell, which is the largest manufacturer and installer of fire protection and prevention devices in the world.

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