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New Mexico Lineman Praised for Balloon Rescue

June 2005 IBEW Journal

When 500 hot air balloons launch simultaneously each fall for Albuquerque’s annual balloon festival, utility companies know that at least a handful of the multicolored aircraft will wind up tangled in power lines. But no one—not even the local fire and rescue department—quite knew what to do when a balloon got hung up on a radio transmission tower, the tallest point in New Mexico.Enter Albuquerque Local 611 member Chris Perez, who was on trouble duty for the Public Service Company of New Mexico on October 10, the day of the city’s marquis event, the International Balloon Fiesta. Just as the Smokey Bear balloon prepared to land, high winds propelled the balloon into the 740-foot tall transmission tower, stranding its 69-year-old pilot and two young passengers in the gondola that came to rest near the top of the 70-story structure.Perez responded to the scene, as did the Los Ranchos Fire Department, who promptly advised the terrified occupants to climb down the tower. "We handed our harnesses to the rescue squad but nobody took them," said Perez, a 13-year journeyman lineman. "So I just put on my tool belt and went up."By the time Perez reached the first child, the 14-year-old had descended to the 200-foot marker. Perez accompanied him down to the outstretched bucket of the utility truck at 105 feet. Then he went up again for the second child, a 10-year-old, who was perched at 250 feet. A veteran lineman whose previous climbing experience topped out at a 100-foot transmission tower, Perez was nervous.

"I have kids and I was hoping that somebody would do something like that for my kids if I wasn’t around," Perez said.