Never let her go: Balloons stop being cute when power lines get involved

Feb. 14—Mysterious balloons shot down over the weekend weren't nearly as troublesome regionally as much smaller ones which have wrought havoc for years.

FirstEnergy reported that helium balloons given as gifts and released outdoors have spawned nearly 575 outages in the last five years over its six-state service territory. That includes Penn Power Co., which covers all of Mercer and Lawrence counties and sections of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Crawford counties.

"Due to the popularity of Valentine's Day balloons, February typically marks the onset of a dramatic increase in outages caused by adrift metallic balloons that peaks in June, when warm weather takes celebrations and picnics outdoors," said Lauren Siburkis, a FirstEnergy spokeswoman.

Siburkis is referring to balloons made of metallic materials.

"While these balloons have increased in popularity as decorations, they continue to cause power outages each year when released outdoors because their metallic coating conducts electricity and poses a risk to the electric system," Siburkis said.

It's not only the helium balloon's material that poses a potential problem. A balloon's weight can also be an issue.

The suspected Chinese surveillance balloon shot down Feb. 4 was estimated by the U.S. military to weigh 2,000 pounds.

"Something weighing that much would just be like heavy equipment knocking down power lines," she said.

Helium balloons are on the wane at Nelson's Flowers in Mercer, said Debbie Thompson, who owns the floral store with her husband Randy.

"The cost of helium has gone up," Thompson said. "And there seems to be less interest in them."

As of 4 p.m. Tuesday — Valentine's Day — the store hadn't sold a single helium balloon.

While heavier balloons can cause trouble, operators try to operate them safely, said Toni McKay, who owns StarBound Entertainment in New Castle.

The company creates large commercial balloons shaped as figures including Fred Flintstone and Humpty Dumpty for events such as a rabbit for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

None of her balloons are made of Mylar — a material often used in foil balloons that have been blamed for power line outages.

"Mylar is very dangerous for electric companies," McKay said. "Mine are made out of a rubberized, vinyl material."

McKay founded her company in 1987, she acknowledges that one balloon in 2010 got away in Lovington, Ill., when an employee didn't follow directions. It was recovered and didn't cause any destruction.

"It hasn't happened again," McKay said.

She's studied the history of large helium balloons in parades — which she said is the reason why her company is careful in keeping them grounded.

When Macy's started its Thanksgiving Day Parade in the 1920s it was common for the large helium balloons to be released. A reward was given to those who returned the balloons to Macy's.

"That stopped in the 30s when a loose balloon almost killed a pilot flying a plane," McKay said. "That's something you don't want happening to anybody."