Halloween Safety Tips: Stay Fire-Safe And Street Smart

NASHVILLE, TN — Don't let an accident spoil your spooky fun on Halloween night.

Metro Police and the Tennessee Fire Marshal's Office are out with a list of Halloween safety tips, good reminders of the best ways to have a fun and fruitful trick-or-treating experience.

Metro Police say that Halloween is historically very safe and that Flex officers will be on patrol in the high-traffic neighborhoods, like Richland and Salemtown/Germantown.

Here's the MNPD's tips:

• Trick-or-treaters should carry flashlights.
• Persons should give, and children should accept, only wrapped or packaged candy.
• Children should bring their treats home for adult inspection before the candy is eaten.
• Children should wear light-colored clothing that is short enough to prevent tripping. Reflective tape should be added.
• Make sure children can see well enough through their face masks. Consider make-up or face paint as an alternative.
• Keep costumed children away from pets, particularly dogs. The pet may not recognize the child, become frightened and react in a vicious manner.
• Choose costumes that are flame retardant, and use props, such as magic wands and swords made out of foam rubber or cardboard, rather than metal or wood.

According to data from the National Fire Protection Association. decorations are the first thing to ignite in 900 reported home fires each year and 40 percent of these fires were started by a candle.

The fire marshal offers these tips:

· When choosing a costume, stay away from billowing or long, trailing fabric. If you are making your own costume, choose material that won't easily ignite if it comes into contact with heat or flame. If your children wear masks, make sure eye holes are large enough to allow unobstructed views.
· 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 candles in a jack-o-lantern. If you use a flame candle, use extreme caution and keep them well attended at all times. When lighting candles inside jack-o-lanterns, use long fireplace matches or a long-nozzled 15 candle lighter. Be sure to place lit pumpkins well away from anything that can burn and far enough out of the way of trick-or-treaters and such high-traffic areas as doorsteps, walkways and yards.
· 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 faces with their hands, and rolling over and over.)
· Use flashlights or other battery-operated lights as alternatives to candles or torch lights when decorating walkways and yards. They are much safer for trick-or-treaters, whose costumes may brush against the lighting.
· When attending a Halloween party, look for ways out of the home/venue and plan how you would get out in an emergency.
· If you have a Halloween party, check for cigarettes under furniture cushions and in areas where people might have smoked, before you go to bed.
· When visiting a haunted house, always be aware of your surroundings and on the lookout for safety features that can make the difference during an emergency

Photo by J.R. Lind, Patch staff