Contact:
Atineh Haroutunian
Glendale Water & Power
(818) 548-3381
aharoutunian@glendaleca.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2016

GLENDALE, California — Mylar balloons, while festive, are dangerous and the cause of several power outages in Glendale each year. That’s because the balloons are conductive and when released into the sky can get caught in high voltage power lines.  The metallic coating is a conductor for electricity and, when entangled in power lines, causes short-circuits, resulting in outages and damages to equipment jeopardizing the public’s safety, loss of revenues for businesses and major inconvenience to residential customers. GWP urges customers to stay safe during Mother's Day celebrations and upcoming graduation ceremonies by following these mylar balloon safety tips for your safety and help prevent electrical outages:

• Use caution and avoid celebrating with mylar balloons near overhead electric lines.
• Make sure helium-filled mylar balloons are securely tied to a weight that is heavy enough to prevent them from floating away. Never remove the weight.
• Keep mylar balloons indoors, when possible. For everyone's safety, never permit mylar balloons to be released outside.
• Do not bundle mylar balloons together.
• Never attempt to retrieve any type of balloon, kite or toy that becomes caught in a power line.
• Never go near a power line that has fallen to the ground or is dangling in the air. Always assume downed wires are energized and extremely dangerous.

Call 911 immediately to report downed power lines. To report an outage or objects caught in power lines, call 818-548-2011. To view a GWP demo on how a mylar balloon causes an outage click on the video link https://youtu.be/9anA66YB_6c. For more safety tips visit www.GlendaleWaterAndPower.com

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Glendale Water & Power (GWP) is the City of Glendale’s water and electric utility. GWP provides water to 33,744 customers in Glendale, California. The city-owned utility also generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to 88,100 residential, commercial, and industrial customers. www.GlendaleWaterAndPower.com. Twitter @COGWaterPower Facebook /GlendaleWaterAndPower