Burger King Workers Get Hot Feet in Firewalking Attempt

October 7, 2001

Source:

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MIAMI, FLORIDA, October 6, 2001: About a dozen Burger King

marketing-department workers burned their feet when they walked

over white-hot coals at a meeting intended to promote bonding.

One woman was taken to a hospital emergency room, and Burger King

brought in a doctor to treat others whose feet were blistered.

Some workers used wheelchairs the next day when they went to the

airport to leave for another company retreat.

More than 100 employees at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo

participated Wednesday in the firewalking, a ritual with origins

in religions of the Far East, and one which is popular among some

Hindus. The Burger King workers had to sign a waiver

acknowledging they might get hurt. The injured employees suffered

first- and second-degree burns. Mildred Morse, a Burger King

administrative assistant, was the most seriously hurt. She was

released from Baptist Hospital on Thursday. "You're walking over

hot coals, and something can happen," said Robert Kallen, owner

of The Achievement Group, which ran the event. "The majority of

the people get through it without a nick or a blister." A

certified instructor [the article does not say by whom], Kallen

has led thousands of participants over coals that can be as

hot as 1,200 degrees. Dana Frydman, vice president of product

marketing for Burger King, was injured but had no regrets about

the event she helped organize. "It made you feel a sense of

empowerment," Frydman said, "and that you can accomplish

anything."

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