STOW, MA – State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey offers fire safety tips for celebrating Halloween including using battery-operated tea lights in pumpkins instead of candles. More children are injured by cars than fire on Halloween, so it’s important for children to be visible and to practice pedestrian safety. Drivers should use extra caution; drive more slowly and watch for children who may forget to cross at corners and use crosswalks.
Reminder: Be Careful with Halloween Costumes, Decorations and Trick-or-Treating
- Remind youngsters to cross at crosswalks or corners and not to dart out between parked cars. More children are hit by cars on Halloween than any other single day.
- Children should carry a flashlight or glow sticks; costumes should be bright-colored or have reflective tape to highlight them.
- Be sure all parts of costumes are labeled flame retardant.
- Costumes should not have trailing materials or tails long enough to cause falls.
- If a child is wearing a mask instead of make-up, make sure the eye holes are large enough to see through clearly.
- Make sure your home is well-lit inside and out and that there is a clear path to your door.
- Use a small flashlight or battery-operated tea light in pumpkins instead of a candle.
- Keep decorations like cornstalks and leaves away from heat sources and lit candles.
- Children under 12 should always be with an adult. It’s best to take little ones out early. If older children are going out without you, go over the ground rules first and set a curfew. Have them travel in a group and with a cell phone and flashlight.
- Fireworks are dangerous and illegal in Massachusetts. The ban includes firecrackers, cherry bombs and party poppers.
For more information on Halloween Safety, contact your local fire department or look at the Department of Fire Services website at www.mass.gov/dfs, search on Halloween Safety, or call the Public Fire Safety Education Hotline at 1-877-9-NO-FIRE.
