Valentine’s Day is a day full of sweet sentiments, but Southern
California Edison (SCE) reminds customers of a situation that can turn
things sour fast: floating Mylar
balloons.
Helium-filled Mylar balloons, often given as Valentine’s gifts, can
float into power lines and cause power
outages or even downed
power lines. The resulting outages can last from minutes to hours
for homes and businesses, and can lead to inoperable stoplights,
property damage and possibly even injuries.
In the last two years, SCE has seen a sharp increase in balloon-related
outages, with 689 last year after 583 in 2012. These are the highest
numbers since 2007. In addition, there was a 75-percent jump in
balloon-caused outages between February (59), when the numbers usually
spike, and January (34) last year.
SCE asks customers to keep the balloons indoors, and if they are used
outdoors, to keep them secured to a heavy weight to keep them from
floating away (It is unlawful
to sell balloons without a string weight). Never remove the weight.
Mass balloon releases also are illegal in several states, including
California.
“It only takes one wayward balloon to cause a power outage,” said Don
Neal, SCE director of Corporate Environmental Health and Safety. “Tying
down a Mylar balloon is the best way to prevent this.”
SCE recommends some other safety tips for handling Mylar balloons:
-
Do not attempt to retrieve a balloon — or any foreign object — tangled
in power lines. Instead, call SCE at 800-611-1911 and report the
problem.
-
Never tie a Mylar balloon to a child’s wrist. If the balloon comes
into contact with electricity, it will travel through the balloon and
into the child, causing serious injury or even death.
-
Never attach streamers to any balloon — latex or metallic.
-
When done with the balloons, do not release them. Puncture them
several times or cut the knot and throw them in the garbage to prevent
them from floating away.
-
If you see a downed line or dangling wire — even if it appears not to
be live — don’t touch or approach it and call 911 immediately.
More on metallic balloon safety can be found at www.sce.com/safety.
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About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison
is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population
of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a
50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern
California.
Copyright Business Wire 2014