Can deep-frying a turkey ever be a bad idea, especially at a holiday party?
It sure can, according to the air traffic controller's union, especially if the sizzling goes on inside administrative offices at Dulles International Airport. The union is blasting its managers for deep-frying a turkey last week in offices adjacent to the Dulles terminal and just a few hundred feet from the control tower.
An airport fire marshal made managers turn off the cooker.
Kieron Heflin, a representative with the air traffic controller's union, complained in a letter to management: "It has . . . come to my attention that the Dulles Management decided it would be a nice idea to DEEP FRY A TURKEY in the Dulles administrative quarters, surrounded by carpet, linoleum, an airport, aircraft, a control tower, thousands if not millions of gallons of jet fuel and thousands of passengers and employees."
Union officials, who have been battling management over staffing levels and other work-place issues, said they were complaining not because they weren't invited to the party; they were welcome to attend. They were just worried about the safety of the airport, they said.
Scores of fires linked to fryers
Turkey-fryers have become popular in recent years because they often result in succulent-tasting birds. But safety experts say that they can cause serious fires if not used properly. Scores of fires have been linked to the fryers.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said managers did nothing wrong. They were using an indoor electric fryer, not the more dangerous gas-fired devices.
"It was meant for indoor use," Diane Spitaliere said. "This is just another attempt by [union officials] to make management look bad because of discontent over their contract."
Outside safety experts said that even indoor fryers can be dangerous, especially in such environments as an office.
The National Fire Protection Association, which works to reduce the risk of fire, warns that electric fryers should be used only by trained professionals and not inside offices or homes. They can tip over and spill gallons of boiling oil, it said.
"In any setting other than a restaurant, generally, fryers pose a risk of both fire and burn injuries," said Lorraine Carli, a spokeswoman for the organization.
Lip-smacking tasty?
The airport fire marshal was summoned to the scene by an employee curious about how to dispose of the fryer's used peanut oil. After the fryer was turned off, the fire marshal waited 30 minutes for the oil to cool, airport spokeswoman Tara Hamilton said.
"He told them to cease because you can't do that in a building" or on airport grounds because it is a safety concern, Hamilton said. "Fortunately, this didn't end in any injuries or anything else."
The FAA disputes Hamilton's version of events. Spitaliere said the fire marshal allowed the managers to finish cooking the turkey before unplugging the device.
And was it lip-smacking tasty? "It turned out fine," Spitaliere said.
