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 the holiday nears, take these simple precautions that can help ensure the holiday remains fun and fire safe.
Decorations
- 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.
- Keep Halloween decorations away from open flames and other heat sources, such as light bulbs and heaters.
- Jack-o-lanterns should never have a lit candle inside them in the house.
- Decorations are the first thing to ignite in 800 reported home fires each year, 33% of which are started by a candle nearby.
- Keep exits clear of decorations, so nothing blocks escape routes, especially stairways, doorways, and hallways that guide your escape.
Costumes
- 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.
Trick-or-Treating
- 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.
Halloween is a time for fun and spooky celebrations and activities, but it can also...