Editing Hot air balloon (section)

==Safety equipment==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2009}}

To help ensure the safety of pilot and passengers, a hot air balloon may carry several pieces of safety equipment.

===Basket===
To relight the burner if the pilot light goes out and the optional piezo ignition fails, the pilot should have ready access to a means of backup ignition, such as a flint spark lighter. Many systems, especially those that carry passengers, have completely duplicate fuel and burner systems: two fuel tanks, connected to two separate hoses, which feed two distinct burners. This enables a safe landing in the case of a blockage somewhere in one system or if a system must be disabled because of a fuel leak.

A [[fire extinguisher]] suitable for extinguishing propane fires is useful. Most balloons carry a 1 or 2&nbsp;kg [[Fire classes|AB:E]] type fire extinguisher.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Annie |date=2021-05-21 |title=How Do Hot Air Balloons Not Catch On Fire? Read Here! |url=https://hotairflyer.com/how-balloons-not-catch-fire/ |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=hotairflyer.com |language=en-gb}}</ref>

A handling or drop line is mandatory safety equipment in many countries. This is a rope or webbing of 20–30&nbsp;meters in length attached to the balloon basket with a quick-release connection at one end. In very calm winds the balloon pilot can throw the handling line from the balloon so that the ground crew can guide the balloon safely away from obstructions on the ground.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Droplines {{!}} Crew Training |url=https://cazooee.com/crewing/dropline.html |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=cazooee.com}}</ref>

For commercial passenger balloons, a pilot restraint harness is mandatory in some countries. This consists of a hip belt and a webbing line that together allow for some movement while preventing the pilot from being ejected from the basket during a hard landing.

Further safety equipment may include a first-aid kit, a fire blanket and a strong rescue knife.

===Occupants===
At a minimum, the pilot should wear leather or flame-retardant fiber (such as [[nomex]]) gloves, so that they may shut off a gas valve in the case of a leak, even if there is a flame present; quick action in this regard can turn a potential catastrophe into a mere inconvenience. The pilot should additionally wear flame-resistant clothing covering their arms and legs; either natural fiber, such as [[cotton]], [[linen]], [[hemp]], or [[wool]], or engineered flame-retardant fiber, such as nomex, is acceptable in this capacity. Most engineered fibers (with the exception of [[rayon]], which is also safe to wear) are [[thermoplastic]]; many are also [[hydrocarbons]]. This makes such fabrics very much unsuitable to wear near high temperatures, since non-flame-retardant thermoplastics will melt onto the wearer, and most hydrocarbons, whether fibrous or not, are suitable to use as fuels. Natural fiber will singe rather than melt or burn readily, and flame-retardant fiber generally has a very high melting point and is intrinsically non-flammable. Many pilots also advise their passengers to wear similar protective clothing that covers their arms and legs, as well as strong shoes or boots that offer good ankle support. Finally, some balloon systems, especially those that hang the burner from the envelope instead of supporting it rigidly from the basket, require the use of helmets by the pilot and passengers.

===Ground crew===
The ground crew should wear gloves whenever there is a possibility of handling ropes or lines. The mass and exposed surface to air movement of a medium-sized balloon is sufficient to cause rope friction burns to the hands of anyone trying to stop or prevent movement. The ground crew should also wear sturdy shoes and at least long pants in case of the need to access a landing or landed balloon in rough or overgrown terrain.