by Mike Rose
In my opinion it is always best to be pro-active when it comes to emergency procedures. If you are pro-active you already know what to do when an emergency occurs. If you are reactive in this kind of situation you are going to lose valuable time trying to decide what to do. My chase vehicle is equipped with a list of emergency numbers that include:
Local Police
Local Fire Dept.
County Sheriff
Electric Company
Gas Company
Emergency Rescue Services
Care Lift
Lost Balloon Number
Just a few words of explanation regarding this list If you anticipate your flight path covering several communities you need to have numbers for each agency in each community in which you will be chasing. I know that many communities have "911" emergency dialing, but I'd rather go directly to the agency I need to deal with instead of having to have the message relayed through the 911 operator. There is always a chance of the message being delayed or garbled by going through a third party.
In the area where I fly the ballooning association and annual festival committee have done an excellent job of educating the police and fire departments as well as the local power companies on ballooning in general. The electric company has regularly made presentations at local safety seminars and while teaching us about electricity they, in turn, learn about ballooning. Our local fire chief is also a balloon pilot and we have made excellent use of the fire department's facilities. At local seminars I have had the opportunity to operate every type of fire extinguisher that I may come into contact with. Learning hands-on operation of an extinguisher in calm classroom like surroundings is sure better than trying to learn when a fire is raging away and your prompt actions could save lives or property.
A "Lost Balloon Number" can be critical at times. Many balloonists I know carry CB radios in their basket to communicate with the chase vehicle. The problem with CB is that they don't carry very far and it is easy to outrun the chase vehicle and lose communication. You can assure yourself of good communications in several different ways. In today's world with the proliferation of cellular phones it is quite simple to have a cellular in both the balloon and the chase vehicle. There are also high dollar FM and aircraft radios that will carry for up to 100 miles but not many people I know have these due to the cost. In cases where you don't have access to cellular phones or high dollar FM or aircraft radios you can have the phone number of someone you know will be available during the flight time window to relay a message from a lost balloon. As a last resort you could use an answering machine that both the pilot and crew have the ability to access.
Powerlines
In the early days of ballooning we used to say, "There are two kinds of pilots; those that have been in the powerlines and those that are going to be in the powerlines." Hopefully this has changed with the increased attention placed on safety seminars and increased awareness of powerlines. In the event that your balloon should contact powerlines there are several specific precautions that you will need to take to protect yourself and to assist in the rescue of people in the basket. If a balloon is in the powerlines you must always assume that the power is on. Do not think that the power is off just because you saw a flash causing the line to short out or the breaker to trip. Most powerlines have an automatic power-on feature that cuts in within a few seconds of shorting out. This can be deadly if you are in contact with the basket when the power comes back on. If a balloon is in the powerlines and the basket is dangling above the ground DO NOT touch the basket. If the balloon is hanging from a powerline chances are it is charged with electricity. If you touch the basket or fabric you complete the circuit to the ground and in most cases this will be fatal. Yes, I did say basket or fabric. Do not assume that electrical power will not transmit through wicker or fabric. Any dampness caused by early morning dew or very high humidity can cause fabric or wicker to be wet enough to carry enough electricity to cause a fatal jolt.
If the basket is dangling near the ground (close enough for passengers to jump) you should instruct them to sit or stand on the edge of the basket and jump clear, touching the ground after leaving contact with the basket. If the basket is dangling some distance in the air (to for to jump safely) the drop line can be deployed over the side and tied off at the proper length. Just make sure that the drop line does not touch the ground. It should be lowered to a height of about 8 to 10 feet from the ground. The passengers can then slide down the drop line and fall free from a distance of 2 to 4 feet.
If the basket is touching the ground while the envelope is draped over powerlines it is already grounded. Passengers should exit on their own as quickly as possible in case the power should be turned back on by the automatic power-on feature. These suggestions certainly don't cover everything you will need to know about powerlines. I suggest that you bring the subject up with your pilot. Discuss it at length or until you at least feel comfortable with what you should do should your pilot encounter powerlines. I would also recommend that you attend a safety seminar the next time one is offered in your geographic area. These seminars are not just for pilots. Most seminars have several interesting topics relating to crewing and you can learn many things to make your ballooning safer and more enjoyable.
I want to thank everyone for the support they have given during this series of articles on crewing. Both Tom Hamilton and I have received letters and communications regarding the series and we appreciate your input. If you have further suggestions or topics you would like to see covered please continue to send them to Tom or me. I'm sure that any reasonable topic idea will be considered for future publication. Also, plans are to put this entire series of articles into book form and I'd like the book to be as compete as possible. Please contact me at Aero BalloonPort, P. O. Box 1362, Allen, Texas 75013, phone (972) 359-8935 or by e-mail at balloon@flash.net.
Editor's note: This is the last of 19 articles in the series on crewing.