Halloween is approaching fast. Here are some fire safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association presented by the Nichols Fire Department:
First, begin thinking safety. 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.
Provide children with flashlights to carry for lighting or glow sticks as part of their costume.
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.
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.)
Use flashlights 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.
If your children are going to Halloween parties at others’ homes, have them look for ways out of the home and plan how they would get out in an emergency.
Its great fun isn’t it! Halloween I mean, dressing up in scary costumes; playing “Trick or Treat” round your local neighbourhood. We all remember the times as children when we would either a) go out trick or treating, or b) be in the house when there would be a knock on the door, and stood the other side would be a Ghost, a zombie and uncle fester!
ReplyDeleteAs a kid I used to love the carving of the traditional Pumpkin (Jack O’Lantern), never thinking about the potential fire hazards. Traditional Jack O’Lanterns are illuminated by the naked flame of a candle.
Always have a fire extinguisher nearby in case of emergencies, also before lighting the candle, please make sure that your smoke alarm is in working order.