What is the VRP as Originally Announced?

Central and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) announced the VRP on July 19, 2001. The VRP addresses over 35 million fire sprinklers with O-ring seals. The specific models of sprinklers covered by the VRP are pictured in the VRP Notice Packet.

Under the VRP, Central will provide replacement sprinkler heads free of charge to building owners who file a claim. Central will also arrange and pay for the labor needed to install the replacement sprinklers by using either its own crews or by contracting with professional sprinkler contractors.

To participate in the VRP, you need to complete and sign the forms in the VRP Notice Packet and submit them along with required photographs to Central.

Remember, nothing about the VRP as originally announced has changed, and if your VRP claim is complete, you do not need to do anything else in order to receive the original VRP benefits. If you want to receive the new VRP enhancements, however, you may need to submit a new form or additional information to Central.

What are the VRP Enhancements?

The VRP enhancements supplement the VRP and provide more choices to building owners for having their O-ring sprinklers replaced. The VRP enhancements are summarized below. The page number referenced is the page of the Notice of Enhancements booklet where the new benefit is described in more detail, including instructions on how to receive the enhanced benefit:

• Reimbursement of permit fees paid, if any, for the replacement work, up to $75.00 (p. 1);
  
  
• Use of a replacement contractor bonded against theft if your lease, management agreement or association bylaws require such bonding (p. 1);
  
  
• Subject to certain conditions, reimbursement of the cost of replacement materials and labor incurred and paid by building owners who replaced their O-ring sprinklers between February 2000 and July 19, 2001 (p. 1);
  
  
• Subject to certain conditions, the opportunity to arrange on your own for the labor necessary to install the free replacement sprinklers rather than having Central arrange for labor through the VRP, and to receive specific reimbursement amounts toward the cost of the replacement labor (p. 2); and
  
  
• Appointing an Ombudsman to assist VRP claimants in communicating with Central and resolving certain disputes (p. 5).
  

Why did Central Introduce the VRP Enhancements?

In speaking with building owners and their representatives after the VRP was announced in July 2001, Central recognized that some building owners wanted more flexibility and options in replacing their O-ring sprinklers. In order to encourage even greater participation in the VRP and to smooth the process already in place since July 2001, Central agreed to the enhanced benefits and to make them available to all VRP claimants – even those that already had submitted claims.

If my VRP Claim is Already Complete, do I Need to do Anything Else to Receive VRP Benefits?

No. If you received a Claim-Complete Notice from Central, you do not need to do anything else to receive the original benefits of the VRP. However, you may need to send additional forms if you want to receive any of the enhanced benefits described in the Notice of Enhancements booklet.

If I have not Already Submitted a VRP Claim, or if my VRP Claim is not yet Complete, what do I Need to do to Receive the VRP Benefits or the Enhanced VRP Benefits?

If you have not yet submitted a claim to Central to participate in the VRP, you will need to submit the forms and the required information indicated in the VRP Notice Packet. If you also wish to receive any of the enhanced benefits described in the Notice of Enhancements booklet, you may need to send additional information or forms to Central, as instructed in the Notice of Enhancements booklet.

If you sent a VRP claim to Central, and Central notified you that your claim is missing certain information or forms, you must send the missing material in order to complete your claim and receive the original benefits from the VRP. If you also wish to receive any of the enhanced benefits described in the Notice of Enhancements booklet, you may need to send additional information or forms to Central.

Read the explanations in the Notice of Enhancements booklet carefully and use the forms included in the booklet. If you have any questions about the VRP or the enhancements, call Central’s Customer Service Hotline at 1-866-505-8553 8:15am to 6pm EST. On behalf of all of us at Central Sprinkler, we thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Brinkman, Jr., President
Central Sprinkler Company