FirstEnergy warns foil balloons cause Valentine’s Day outages; raises quarterly dividend

Balloon safety campaign targets Valentine’s Day outage spike

FirstEnergy is stepping up warnings to customers about the dangers of helium-filled foil balloons as Valentine’s Day approaches, saying the metallic coating on foil balloons conducts electricity and can cause outages if balloons contact overhead power lines or equipment. The utility says February typically sees a rise in balloon-related outages tied to gifts such as flowers and cards, and that foil balloons caused 96 power outages across its service area last year.

The company provides a detailed breakdown of 2025 incidents by operating company, with JCP&L reporting 24 outages, Ohio Edison 16, Met-Ed 12, The Illuminating Company nine, Penelec nine, Toledo Edison seven, West Penn Power five, Mon Power five, Potomac Edison five and Penn Power four. FirstEnergy says community outreach and safer balloon practices are reducing incidents — outages fall from 132 in 2020 to 96 in 2025, a 27% decrease — and urges continued vigilance.

FirstEnergy warns the metallic film on foil balloons can create a conductive path that shorts equipment, sparks fires, trips transformers and causes outages that can affect thousands of customers. The company says affected restoration often requires crews to respond and replace damaged components, and it recommends keeping metallic balloons away from overhead lines, securing them to weights, disposing of them properly, trimming ribbons, supervising children and favouring non-conductive or air-only decorations. Chad Stoneking, the utility’s director of safety operations, emphasises that Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest balloon-buying days of the year and urges retailers and consumers to prevent balloons from becoming loose.

Dividend raised as company points to transformation

Separately, FirstEnergy’s board declares a quarterly dividend of $0.465 per share payable June 1 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 7, representing a 4.5% increase from the prior quarterly payout and implying a 2026 annual rate of $1.86 versus $1.78 in 2025. The company says the increase reflects progress on its long-term transformation and targets a payout ratio of 60–70% of Core (non‑GAAP) Earnings, while noting dividend decisions remain subject to board discretion, regulatory developments and other factors.

Scale and cautions

FirstEnergy notes its electric distribution companies form one of the nation’s largest investor-owned systems, serving more than 6 million customers across Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York, and that its transmission subsidiaries operate roughly 24,000 miles of transmission lines connecting the Midwest and Mid‑Atlantic. The company reiterates commitments to safety and reliability and includes standard forward-looking statement cautions about uncertainties that could affect future results.