PNM holds safety demonstration ahead of Balloon Fiesta

PNM hosted a safety demonstration for first responders and Balloon Fiesta safety officials Wednesday morning to discuss what to do if a hot air balloon is caught in power lines.

As the Balloon Fiesta approaches, PNM warned that balloons can quickly turn into a dangerous situation if one were to get caught in power lines.

The safety demonstration covered how PNM responds and works with first responders, and Raymond Bair, a member of the Balloon Fiesta Board of Directors and experienced pilot, discussed this safety issue from the pilot’s perspective. The event was hosted at the PNM Reeves Generation Station, and a balloon and gondola were draped over a de-energized power line as a visual aid.

PNM emphasized that safety is a priority and it’s important to know that touching a balloon caught in power lines could cause a chain reaction that can injure those attempting to provide help, as well as the people inside the balloon’s gondola.

“Preparedness is important for an incident like this,” said Chad Krukowski, director of safety for PNM. “We always hope for an incident-free Balloon Fiesta, but should a balloon hit a power line, it’s imperative that PNM and local first responder groups continue to work cohesively to respond and keep everyone safe.”

PNM offered the following tips to stay safe during the Fiesta:

• If you see a balloon get entangled in powerlines, do not approach. Call 911 immediately and call PNM at 888-DIAL-PNM. The safest thing for everyone is to stay away and call for help.
• Even if the line is not sparking or arcing, always assume that it’s energized and call 888-DIAL-PNM.
• Electricity seeks the nearest path to ground, which means an energized power line that poses no danger to a balloon hanging on one wire could become deadly if someone touches the ground and the balloon or tether at the same time. Stay away, call 911 and 888-DIAL-PNM.
• Keep your eyes on the road when driving. Every year outages affecting thousands of customers are caused by vehicles hitting power poles or other electrical equipment. As balloons fill the sky, stay safe and keep your eyes on the road. Pull over in a safe location to watch and take pictures of the balloons.

How PNM prepares for Balloon Fiesta

During the length of Balloon Fiesta, PNM has operations employees stationed on the field every morning at Balloon Fiesta Park. Each morning, they attend the pilot’s meetings and stay on the field during mass ascensions to alert employees in the PNM Distribution Operations Center as to whether or not balloonists have been given a green light to take off, and relay information on the direction in which balloons are traveling once they do take off. Employees within the PNM Distribution Operations Center, who work year-round, stay in constant real-time communication with the field member(s) at the park, and with the PNM line crews who are stationed outside the park at the PNM Reeves Generating Station every morning, ready to respond in the event of a balloon accident.