City Offers Safety Tips for Halloween

With Halloween just days away, the police and fire departments in Novi have some important safety advice for parents and trick-or-treating children.

“We continually encourage community members to be safety conscious, but ask that they pay even more attention on Halloween,” Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police David E. Molloy said. “The biggest dangers faced on Halloween are injuries from tripping and falling and pedestrian/car accidents. Unfortunately, many children forget safety tips out of sheer excitement while traversing from house-to-house trick-or-treating. It is important for parents to set the example by staying on main pathways and crossing at corners.”

According to the department’s recommendations, children should:

• Go only to well-lit houses and remain on porches rather than entering houses.

• Travel in small groups and be accompanied by an adult.

• Know their phone number in case an emergency telephone call is necessary.

• Have their names and addresses attached to their costumes.

• Bring treats home before eating them so parents can inspect them.

• Use costume knives and swords that are flexible, not rigid or sharp. When walking in neighborhoods children should: • Use flashlights, stay on sidewalks, and avoid crossing yards.

• Cross streets at the corner, use crosswalks (where they exist), and do not cross between parked cars.

• Stop at all corners and stay together in a group before crossing.Wear clothing that is bright, reflective, and flame retardant.Consider using face paint instead of masks. (Masks can obstruct a child’s vision.)

• Avoid wearing hats that will slide over their eyes.

• Avoid wearing long, baggy or loose costumes or oversized shoes (to prevent tripping). • Look left, right, and left again before crossing the street.

Parents and adults should:

• Supervise the outing for children under age 12.

• Establish a curfew (a return time) for older children.

• Prepare homes for trick-or-treaters by clearing porches, lawns, and sidewalks and by placing jack-o-lanterns away from doorways and landings.

• Inspect all candy for safety before children eat it. Parents and adults should ensure the safety of pedestrian trick-or-treaters:
  

• Make sure children are supervised as they cross the street.

• Drive slowly.Watch for children in the street and on medians.Exit driveways and alleyways carefully. • Have children get out of cars on the curbside, not on the traffic side. And a few tips about pumpkins and decorations.
• Carve pumpkins on stable, flat surfaces with good lighting.

• Have children draw a face on the outside of the pumpkin and have parents do the cutting.

• 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. Do not leave lit pumpkins unattended.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.

• 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.

• Remember to keep exits clear of decorations, so nothing blocks escape routes.

• 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.)