Page 13
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Balloons ...
Balloons in
power lines
large hazard
Metallic balloons are
used to decorate at parties,
given to friends and chil-
dren, and used by businesses
to attract customers.
Rarely do people think
of these symbols of good
will as dangerous. Pacific
Power reminds people that
metallic balloons can be
hazardous around power
lines and other electrical
equipment, and to use cau-
tion when handling them.
The danger lies in es-
caped helium-filled balloons
and their strings that end up
touching a power line, trans-
former or substation.
Upon making contact
or becoming entangled with
lines, even the slightest
amount of metal -- including
that in metallic balloons --
can conduct electricity. That
contact can damage power
lines and cause power out-
ages to nearby homes or
businesses or power fluctua-
tions that can damage home
appliances.
Metallic balloons that
come in contact with power
lines also can cause serious
injury to anyone holding the
balloons or strings, or any
person who attempts to re-
trieve balloons.
“We want to make sure
everyone knows the impor-
tance of keeping metallic
balloons and all objects
away from electrical lines
for power reliability and,
most importantly, for per-
sonal safety,” said Gene
Morris, Pacific Power safety
director.
Pacific Power encour-
ages the following precau-
tions to help minimize the
potential dangers of metallic
balloons:
*Keep balloons indoors,
where they can’t come into
contact with overhead
power lines or other electri-
cal equipment.
Make sure the string for
each balloon is securely at-
tached and short enough to
control its direction.
*Attach a weight to the
balloon’s strings so that it
cannot float away.
*Supervise children
who have received balloons
as gifts.
*Never intentionally
(Continued in column 6)
(Continued from column 1)
(Photo at left by volunteer
Lt. Gerry Bjornstad, IVFD;
the other photo by Dale &
Elaine Sandberg/IVFD
Media Dept.)
release balloons.
*Deflate balloons after
the holiday or occasion and
keep it as a memento or dis-
pose of it properly. (Birds
and squirrels have been
known to carry balloon rem-
nants onto lines).
*If you notice a metal-
lic balloon near a power
line, do not try to retrieve it.
Report it to Pacific Power
by calling toll-free (888)
221-7070.
Besides use by the gen-
eral public, businesses often
use large balloons to attract
customers to storefronts and
showrooms.
Pacific Power urges
businesses using balloons as
promotional devices to be
aware of the hazards bal-
loons pose and to use ex-
treme caution when placing
strings of balloons high into
the air.
Make sure balloons are
securely tethered to a sta-
tionary object; keep strings
short enough to control the
direction of the balloons in
case of wind; and always
locate balloons away from
power lines.
For more electrical
safety information, visit
www.pacficpower.net or
phone (800) 375-7085.
First office at I.V. Medical Center
Monday - Friday by appointment
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Efforts by workers from several agencies
combine to result in successful rescue
Illinois Valley Fire Dis-
trict (IVFD) and other agen-
cies responded to a crash at
an initially unknown loca-
tion involving two Califor-
nia men, one of whom sur-
vived, on Monday, July 31.
Their vehicle went off
an embankment on Bolan
Lake Road, off Happy
Camp Road, just over the
Oregon border in California.
The determination of the
state in which the crash oc-
curred was made using
global positioning satellite
equipment some time after
Oregon rescuers responded.
The rescued man was
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identified by Josephine
County Sheriff’s Office
(JCSO) as Hemet resident
Basil Everette Wolfe, 56.
His deceased companion
was 62, and his family has
not been notified.
IVFD, American Medi-
cal Response, and Josephine
County Search And Rescue
(SAR) were activated at
approximately 9:30 a.m.
after it was reported by an
unidentified source that the
men were overdue from a
fishing trip.
U.S. Forest Service per-
sonnel also responded to the
emergency.
Subsequently, a 911 call
was received. It is unclear
who made that call, but indi-
cations were that it was
Wolfe using a cell phone.
He didn’t know his location.
A private citizen, Cave
Junction resident John
Tromler, saw skid marks on
the road and stopped, said
JCSO. This was early in the
afternoon.
He then apparently
heard Wolfe calling for
help. He had managed to get
approximately 30 feet from
the wrecked Jeep Wrangler.
He and his companion
appeared to have been
ejected from the Jeep as it
tumbled down the embank-
ment, said JCSO. The dead
man was some 80 feet from
the vehicle.
SAR was behind Trom-
ler, and its mountain rescue
personnel went down the
precipitous embankment,
which was covered with
thick brush.
Other emergency per-
sonnel were notified, and
they went to the crash site.
They had been searching
farther toward Bolan Lake
for several hours.
Rescuers from several
agencies worked to aid
Wolfe and get him up to the
road. AMR then took him a
short distance to a medical
evacuation helicopter from
Medford-based Mercy
Flights.
He was flown to Rogue
Valley Medical Center in
Medford. Unofficial reports
indicate that he suffered
chest, back and neck injuries.
Oregon personnel stood
by the scene until the arrival
of their counterparts from
California Highway Patrol
and Siskiyou County Sher-
iff’s Office.
Upon their arrival, they
were assisted by Oregon
agencies in retrieving the
body of the deceased.
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*Anodyne therapy
TWO LOCATIONS
TO SERVE YOU
Cave Junction Office
218N. Redwood Hwy.
(541) 592-6580
Grants Pass Office
1619 N.W. Hawthorne Ave.
Suite 109
(541) 476-2502
Jeff Wood, M.S., P.T.
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Attorney at Law
General Practice in
Illinois Valley
since 1980
Practice includes but not limited to:
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