No more nuked popcorn

School officials have banned microwave popcorn from campus after smoke from an office microwave on March 30 led to fire alarms and evacuation.

According to John Trojan, vice president of Finance and Facilities, the late morning incident was the second time this year in which an overcooked bag of popcorn “inconvenienced the entire community and endangered first responders.”

Trojan said that school officials had previously received complaints about “unwelcome smells from popcorn odors drifting into adjacent areas.” Fire officials had already requested that unauthorized appliances be removed from offices, he said.

“Beginning immediately,” Trojan wrote in an e-mail at about noon on the day of the incident,“ the College prohibits the cooking of popcorn anywhere on campus.”

“Complete evacuation” of any building in which an alarm goes off is mandatory, Trojan said. “The apparent absence (to the individual) of any smoke or fire does not eliminate the need for compliance with the law.”

Non-compliance, he said, could subject RVCC to fines.

customers

School officials have banned microwave popcorn from campus.

illustration and photo by Daniel Edward Gerlach