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News Release
Sept. 30, 2004
Call PNM Immediately if a Balloon Touches
Power Line
Albuquerque: PNM officials are urging hot-air balloon
crews and balloon watchers to call the company immediately
if they see a balloon touch a power line during the Albuquerque
International Balloon Fiesta.
The number to call to report a balloon-power line incident
in the Albuquerque area is 246-5700.
Crews and onlookers should not attempt to remove a balloon
from a power line, as the line might be energized even after
a balloon becomes entangled. Making contact with a balloon
in this instance could result in electrocution for the person
trying to help as well as anyone in the balloon's gondola.
PNM takes several precautions during the Balloon Fiesta to
reduce the risks associated with balloons taking off and landing
near power lines. These include:
- Placing emergency response crews and the company's outage
response center on a heightened state of alert prior to
and during scheduled balloon liftoffs;
- Positioning emergency response crews just outside Balloon
Fiesta grounds to enable a quick response in the event of
an incident on or near the field;
- Placing two trained coordinators on the field before every
launch to answer pilots' questions and give real-time information
to the PNM outage response center on which direction balloons
are traveling; and
- Placing a special brochure on power-line safety in every
pilot's briefing packet.
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