Practice safety with mylar balloons
Tips to help prevent outages
Mylar balloons, made of metal and foil, are a popular decoration choice for birthday parties, anniversaries, and other summer celebrations. But when they’re not used carefully, they can cause power outages if they float away and contact a power line.
“This time of year, we almost always see a few outages caused by mylar balloons,” said Bill Ewing, PEC Control Center Operations Manager. “The metal coating on them is a conductor that can burn wire, cause downed lines, and even fires. We want to stress that these outages are preventable with some simple steps and awareness like tying down balloons and keeping an eye on them at all times.”
PEC wants members to be aware of the risks of Mylar balloons. Don’t let your decor ruin the party. Follow the balloon safety tips listed below.
- Only buy balloons that come with a heavy weight.
- Keep balloons tied down and watch them closely.
- Never release balloons outdoors.
- Don’t bundle balloons. This increases their chances of floating away.
- After the party, deflate the balloons and throw them in the trash.
- Never touch or attempt to retrieve a balloon in contact with a power line. Instead, call PEC
immediately at 888-883-3379.
For more information, visit pec.coop/safety.