Central Sprinkler Companyand theBuilding Owners and Managers Association(BOMA) International recently made a joint announced that they have reached a settlement agreement resolving their lawsuit over Central Sprinkler Corporation's fire-suppression O-ring sprinklers. The agreement provides for enhancements to the O-ring Voluntary Replacement Program (VRP), a free fire sprinkler replacement program that Central Sprinkler and the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission jointly launched in July 2001. The enhancements are designed to give building owners more choice and flexibility when they participate in the program.

"We are pleased to offer these enhancements to our existing VRP and believe they make a strong program even more attractive to building owners by offering them more options and greater flexibility in how they participate," said Carmine Schiavone, executive vice president of Central Sprinkler. "BOMA has been instrumental in helping us craft enhancements that are extremely responsive to the needs of building owners."

"This is very good news for BOMA International members and all owners of buildings containing Central Sprinkler Corporation's O-ring sprinklers," said BOMA president Larry F. Soehren. "We are delighted that Central Sprinkler Corporation has collaborated with us to present building owners with more options under the Voluntary Replacement Program. We encourage BOMA International members to participate in the newly enhanced Voluntary Replacement Program."

The Voluntary Replacement Program provides for the free removal and replacement of certain models of fire sprinklers that contain O-ring seals. Testing has indicated that the distinctive design of O-ring seal sprinklers may be more susceptible, over time, to accumulation of water minerals, salts, and corrosion by-products.

Building owners participating in the program will receive free Belleville seal replacement sprinklers, a model that does not contain O-ring seals. There are approximately 37 million O-ring sprinklers eligible for the free replacement program in the United States and Canada. To date, claims for more than 13 million replacement sprinklers have been filed by property owners.

Building owners interested in learning more about the VRP or the enhancements to the program may call Central's toll-free Customer Hotline at 866-505-8553, visit www.SprinklerReplacement.com, or visit BOMA International's web site at http://www.boma.org.