Ever wonder where the ballons you set free end up? They're probably stuck in some nearby power lines, creating havoc for those that rely on the equipment.

“Every graduation, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day — anything where there are balloons involved — we get calls about Mylar balloons in the power lines,” said Southern California Edison troubleman Matt McLain, who’s worked at the company for over 10 years.

As a troubleman, McLain gets sent out to troubleshoot whenever there is an issue with equipment, and removing Mylar balloons from the lines is an all too frequent occurrence.

When it happens, he needs to move quickly.

“This work has the potential to be one of the more hazardous situations we deal with,” said McLain. “If the balloon, which has metal components to it, hits certain parts of the lines, it could cause an explosion, downed wire and a power outage.”

McLain was helping fix a broken piece of equipment in a customer's yard when he got a call reporting balloons stuck in some lines in Santa Monica. He and his supervisor, Johnathan Williams — or better known by his crew as Catfish — arrive at the location to assess whether or not the job could be handled alone.

“This isn't just a nuisance; it's dangerous,” said Willams who keeps a look out for additional hazards as McLain attempts to remove the balloon. “I’ve seen firsthand what can happen in these situations. I have personally dealt with dozens of these calls in my time at SCE.”

Upon arrival, they locate two birthday balloons tangled up in the bird guard on high voltage lines of a pole nestled in an alley — a tight squeeze that makes it tough to get McLain’s truck in the right spot.

After some maneuvering, he hops out of the car and back wraps a 10-foot-pole with two-inch tape.

“I'm using a long stick so I'm at a safe distance,” McLain said. “If something happens, the flames and the heat will go up and away from me.”

With the stick in hand, McLain uses the bucket truck to hoist himself up within reach of the lines. He taps the tacky side of the tape to the balloons and twists until they come loose.

“They don’t always come free that quickly,” he said. “Sometimes they are tangled up so tight I have to twist until the string breaks.”

In this situation, the troubleman was able to sidestep disaster — no outage, no explosion, no downed wire. But often the outcome is not so fortunate. So far this year, more than 240,568 customers have been impacted by a Mylar balloon outage.

The top five cities impacted:

“The best way to avoid these situations — don’t purchase Mylar balloons,” said McLain. “If you're going to buy them, pop them before you put them in the trash can. That's probably the number one way they get up there. Someone puts them in the trash inflated and when another person opens the can, they fly out.”

For more safety information, visit sce.com/safety.

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