Halloween & Trick-or-Treating Safety Tips

Halloween is a fun and spooky time of year for kids. Make trick-or-treating safe with a few easy safety tips.

• Children should always go trick-or-treating with a responsible adult.
• When choosing a costume, stay away from billowing or long trailing fabric. If your child is wearing a mask, make sure the eye holes are large enough so they can see out.
• Think about using face paint or make-up as an alternative to masks. Children in awkward costumes or masks with limited vision can fall easily.
• Provide children with flashlights to carry for lighting or glow sticks as part of their costume.
• Remind children to stay together as a group and walk from house to house.
• Review how to safety cross a street with your child. Look left, right, and left again to be sure no cars are approaching before crossing the street.
• Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper are highly flammable. Keep these and other decorations well away from all open flames and heat sources, including light bulbs, and heaters.
• It is safest to use a flashlight or battery-operated candle in a jack-o-lantern. If you use a real candle, use extreme caution. Make sure children are watched at all times when candles are lit. When lighting candles inside jack-o-lanterns, use long, fireplace-style matches or a utility lighter. Be sure to place lit pumpkins well away from anything that can burn and far enough out of way of trick-or-treaters, doorsteps, walkways and yards.
• Remember to keep exits clear of decorations, so nothing blocks escape routes.
• Restrict trick-or-treating visits to homes with porch or outside lights on.
• Tell children to stay away from open flames. Be sure they know how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches fire. (Have them practice, stopping immediately, dropping to the ground, covering their face with hands, and rolling over and over to put the flames out.)
• Make a rule that children will not eat any treat until it has been brought home and examined by a grown-up.

  Portland Fire & Rescue 

  We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

  October 25, 2010