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Make That
Microwave Popcorn & You're "Fired"
Friday June 15, 2007
Firefighters in Seattle have a problem and they're demanding
the city fix it. It seems they've been forced to respond to
endless false alarms, and it's costing the Washington
metropolis a small fortune. But no one's maliciously pulling
the alarms and nobody's been responsible for calling them
in. So what's causing this rash rush to the scene of
pseudo-smoke and fake fire?
Microwave popcorn.
It seems city employees are putting the easy-to-make snack
food into their office ovens, closing the door, hitting
start and then walking away, waiting for the appliance to
beep that it's ready. But as the label often warns,
'microwave popping time will vary', and the package has been
catching on fire or burning, leaving huge clouds of smoke
that smell like only burnt microwave popcorn can.
Those in charge have had enough. "This is a serious issue
which requires Fire Department emergency response, building
evacuation and resetting of building systems," complains the
Fleets and Facilities Department in a bizarre memo to city
employees. It warns a ban on the food could follow if
workers don't practice 'safe popping'.
That could lead to another scenario - surreptitious
snacking. "Perhaps what would happen is there'd be an
underground market for microwave popcorn," suggests city
council staffer Frank Video. "People would sneak the
microwaves into their offices; they'd do illicit popping,"
I'd bet that Orville Redenbacher didn't see that coming!
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