Metallic balloons remain sworn enemy of SoCal Edison
Birthdays, graduations and anniversaries are celebrated differently, but one item that can almost certainly be counted on to be part of the festivities is a balloon.
As fun and decorative as balloons can be, metallic balloons can be hazardous and can lead to a number of different problems.
“Metallic balloons are a longtime and increasing public safety threat that causes hundreds of avoidable power outages every year,” Robert Torres, Southern California Edison’s principal manager of Public Safety said.
The balloons pose a hazard to any electrical system because the metallic coating conducts electricity that can result in power outages, fires or explosions when they come in contact with power lines or other electrical equipment.
Paul Netter, a spokesman for Southern California Edison, said the company has worked with stores and florists in the past to help educate the public over the last several years.
“It’s just an issue that a lot of people, you’d be surprised, aren’t aware of and an issue that can affect the neighborhood of the person releasing (the balloons),” he said.
Linemen remove balloons from power lines and other equipment 20 times more than anything else.
At the beginning of the year, Southern California Edison anticipated the problem would improve due to the pandemic, but as businesses began to reopen around graduation season, the company saw record-high balloon outages from May to September.
“June typically is the highest almost every year,” Netter said. “It basically starts with Valentine’s (Day) to June and rises steadily. It usually tops out in June and starts decreasing but this year they stayed pretty high. Way above normal in July, August.”
The utility company experienced an alltime, one-month high in June with 222 outages, despite virtual graduations.
Some laws have already been implemented to help mitigate the hazards of metallic balloons.
There is a 1990 state law that prohibits the outdoor release of metallic balloons and requires all stores and vendors to sell them with weights. A 2018 state law requires that metallic balloons made by in-state manufacturers contain a printed warning about the risk of releasing them.
Additionally, cities like Glendale and Hermosa Beach have implemented bans on the balloons.
Southern California Edison is encouraging residents who use the metallic balloons to dispose of them properly, keep them tied to a weight and never release them.
“When you get rid of them, don’t just put
them in the garbage as they are or release them,” Netter said. “Puncture them or jam a hole in them because they can be blown away later.”
The utility company also wants to remind residents to never try to retrieve balloons
from a power line or electrical substation. If either occurs or a person comes across a downed power line, call 911 and report it as an electrical emergency.