6A • July 24, 2015 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com Local crews credited with July Fourth power restoration Katherine Lacaze Seaside Signal A power outage that dis- rupted Independence Day celebrations in Seaside and affected more than 8,000 customers was caused by a metallic-skinned helium balloon that got away, ac- FRUGLQJ WR 3DFL¿F 3RZHU The company originally reported a specialty crew from Portland was re- sponsible for installing a new transformer to restore SRZHU /DWHU DIWHU VRPH local residents questioned the response, spokesman Ry Schwark said Clat- VRS &RXQW\ 3DFL¿F 3RZHU employees, not Portland crews, played the most im- portant role in bringing the OLJKWVEDFNRQ Among Clatsop County 3DFL¿F 3RZHU HPSOR\HHV commended for their re- sponse were foreman Doug Peterson, Phil Kaplan and /DUU\ +RHNVWUD ZKR ZHUH WKH ¿UVW WR UHVSRQG ZKHQ WKH RXWDJH RFFXUUHG 7KH\ completed all the repair ZRUN 6FKZDUN VDLG 7KH Clatsop operations crew had power restored before WKH3RUWODQGFUHZDUULYHG “This is what we knew at the time and told you,” Schwark said, apologizing IRU WKH PLVLQIRUPDWLRQ “The Portland crew did some other work there, but it wasn’t related to the re- SDLUV´ Seaside, Gearhart and parts of Warrenton were without power from about WR SP DV 3D- FL¿F 3RZHU HPSOR\HHV UH- placed the damaged equip- PHQW “We found unmistak- able red, white and blue space, with limited avenues WRÀRRGRXW´+DPVDLG Additionally, city staff wanted to have a contingen- cy plan for the anticipated, SRVW¿UHZRUNV KHDY\ WUDI¿F ZKHQ QR WUDI¿F OLJKWV ZHUH LQRSHUDWLRQ As part of its response, the city obtained several large light structures to set up at key locations through- out town, such as the Turn- around, the intersection of Roosevelt Drive and Broad- way, the South Y and the 1RUWK<)RUWXQDWHO\SRZHU was fully restored at an opti- PDOWLPH²MXVWDVWKH¿UH- ZRUNVVKRZHQGHG COURTESY OF PACIFIC POWER %HIRUHWKHVKRZWKH¿UH The rather charred remains of the balloon that caused the power outage on the North Coast on the Fourth of July. department also strategical- ly stationed crews at three Mylar shreds when we did nance and was not usable locations to respond to calls, the repairs the evening of VLQFH WUDI¿F EHFRPHV JULG- DWWKHWLPH*DXQWWVDLG Balloon 411 July 4,” Steve McGrorty ORFNHG RQFH WKH ¿UHZRUNV • Keep balloons indoors where they can’t rise into Emergency VDLG 0F*URUW\ LV 3DFL¿F DUHRYHU'XJDQVDLG overhead power lines or drift into contact with trans- Power’s operations man- Overall, during Fourth of formers or substations. response July weekend, the depart- DJHUIRUWKH1RUWK&RDVW • Make sure each balloon’s string is securely attached When the power went ment had 39 documented and short enough to control its direction. Balloon turns out out, the city went into re- UXQV2IWKHUXQVZHUH • Attach a weight to the balloon’s string so it cannot sponse mode and activated PHGLFDO UHVSRQVHV ¿YH IRU the lights float away; and never intentionally release metallic its Emergency Operations ¿UH DODUPV WKUHH IRU ¿UHV balloons. The balloon from a Center, headquartered at LQFOXGLQJ WZR EUXVK ¿UHV • Deflate balloons after the holiday to keep as a me- nearby celebration caused 6HDVLGH 3ROLFH 'HSDUWPHQW DQG WKH VXEVWDWLRQ ¿UH WZR mento or dispose of properly. Birds and squirrels have a main substation trans- All the city’s department were public assists; one was been known to carry balloon remnants onto lines. former to short circuit near heads collaborated on how for a motor vehicle accident; • Never chase a loose balloon across streets or attempt Seaside Factory Outlet to collectively respond to WZRZHUHIRU¿UHLQYHVWLJD- to retrieve a balloon from a power line or substation. &HQWHU 2WKHU HTXLSPHQW the situation to alleviate the tions; and one was for an also was damaged on near- elevator rescue, unrelated to SUREOHP'XJDQVDLG • If you notice a balloon near a power line, do not try E\SROHV Usually a power outage WKH SRZHU RXWDJH 1R LQMX- to retrieve it. Report it to Pacific Power by calling 888- 222-7070. “Balloons may seem is not a huge safety con- ries were reported from the like small things,” Pacif- cern and does not activate LQFLGHQWV'XJDQVDLG ic Power Safety Manager Additionally, there were the Emergency Operations *HQH 0RUULV VDLG ³%XW just basically short circuits were not detected, Seaside Center, Seaside Police Chief UHSRUWV RI LQGLYLGXDOV when escaped balloons the transmitting of the Division Chief Chris Du- 'DYH +DP VDLG %HFDXVH LW missing children, or vice touch power lines or sub- electricity,” added Pacif- JDQ VDLG 7KHUH ZDV QRW was Fourth of July, howev- YHUVDKHVDLG stations, even the smallest ic Power spokesman Tom PXFK IRU WKH ¿UH GHSDUW- er, and there were throngs Because of how dry this amount of metal content *DXQWW ment to do, he said, but of people on the beach who summer has been, Dugan material can conduct elec- As soon as the power they were told it would be mostly would be leaving at said, he expected more WULFLW\ 7KLV FDQ LQWHUIHUH went out, the Seaside Fire DVLJQL¿FDQWRXWDJH once, it caused some con- EUXVK ¿UHV +H VDLG KH EH- with lines, causing power Department responded to lieves people were aware The second transformer FHUQ ÀXFWXDWLRQVDQGRXWDJHV´ WKH LQFLGHQW 7KH IDLOHG at the substation that can “You have an enormous of the heat and dryness and When a balloon “gets in transformer had smoke provide backup was going amount of people trying to stayed alert and conscien- there in the wrong spot, it FRPLQJIURPLWEXWÀDPHV through scheduled mainte- get off a relatively small WLRXVWRGHFUHDVHWKHULVN 3URSRVHGFKDQJHVWRSDQKDQGOHUUXOHVGUDZ¿UH Rules from Page 1A “This is not a monetary issue, it’s a morality issue,” said Todd Irving, a traveling street per- IRUPHUNQRZQDV)XQNSODVWLF /LVD 'RRQH\ RI 3RUWODQG said if community residents are concerned about panhandling or seeing homeless people on the streets, this isn’t the way WRKDQGOHLW1RRUGLQDQFHZLOO PDNHWKHPGLVDSSHDUVKHVDLG “The way I was raised, it didn’t matter if a person was EHJJLQJRUDVNLQJIRUKHOS