Observe these Halloween safety tips and the night will be a real treat for the whole family!

 Jack-o-Lanterns and Decorations

• Use a battery-operated candle or glow sticks in jack-o-lanterns
• Dried flowers, cornstalks, and crepe paper catch fire easily. Keep all decorations away from open flames and other heat sources like lightbulbs and heaters
• Remember to keep exits clear of decorations so nothing locks escape routes. Make sure all smoke alarms in the home are working
• Teach children to stay away from open flames including jack-o-lanterns with candles in them

 Costumes

• Make sure your costume fits. Baggy sleeves or billowy capes and skirts can trip you up and catch fire if they brush against jack-o-lanterns or candle flames
• Make sure your shoes fit. Big, floppy shoes (clown shoes, adult shoes) that are hard to walk in may make you fall
• Make sure all costume props are made of flexible plastic or rubber. Costume props like swords, knives, etc. can hurt you badly if you fall
• Be certain your mask fits properly and the eye holes allow you to see fully. Don’t wear a mask that is too loose; it can slip and block your vision. Even better, use face paint instead of a mask!
• Be original with a glow-in-the-dark costume. Jazz up your costume by attaching some reflective tape and stickers to ensure motorists can see you

 Trick-or-Treating

• Don’t go it alone while trick-or-treating. Children should always be accompanied by an adult when trick-or-treating
• Stop at street corners. Look left, right, and left again before crossing and don’t cross between parked cars
• Stay on sidewalks when possible. Walk, do not run, from house to house
• Avoid dark houses. Stick to well-lit homes in familiar neighborhoods
• Do not accept any treats that are not commercially wrapped
• Remind children to wait until home to eat candy. Adults should examine all treats first before any eats them

 Motorists

• Slow down in residential neighborhoods and exercise more caution than normal for pedestrians
• Obey all traffic signs and signals
• Watch for children walking in the street, on medians, or on curbs
• Enter and exit driveways and alleyways carefully
• Teach children to enter and exit the vehicle on the curb side, away from traffic

 For Kids

• Color in this sheet and get valuable safety tips