Best Strategies and Tips to Stay Safe on Halloween

Halloween is a time for fun and spooky celebrations and activities, but it can also be a time for some truly scary personal and fire safety hazards. As Halloween nears, take simple precautions that can help ensure the holiday remains fun and fire safe:

• Use glow sticks or battery-operated candles for jack-o-lanterns and other Halloween decorations
  • Burning candles near combustible material such as furniture, curtains, and even carpets are a leading cause of home fires
  • Wear bright, reflective costumes or add strips of reflective tape so children will be more visible

• When choosing costumes, stay away from long trailing fabric
  • Standing near open flames such as fire pits and candles wearing long costumes presents a serious risk as well as increasing the risk for falls

• Provide children with flashlights to carry for lighting or glow sticks as part of their costume
  • Lighting is crucial to alert motorists of pedestrians while trick-or-treating

• Teach children to stay away from open flames, including jack-o-lanterns with candles in them
  • Children often don't realize the danger of small open flames in jack-o-lanterns
  • Jack-o-lanterns should never have a lit candle inside them in the house

• Keep Halloween decorations away from open flames and other heat sources, such as light bulbs and heaters
  • Decorations are the first thing to ignite in 800 reported home fires each year, 33% of which are started by a candle nearby

• Remember to keep exits clear of decorations so nothing blocks escape routes
  • Especially stairways, doorways, and hallways that guide your escape

Photo by Julia Raasch on Unsplash.