State Fire Marshal offers Halloween safety tips

STOW, MA – State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey offers safety tips for celebrating Halloween, “Use battery-operated tea lights in jack-o-lanterns instead of candles.” More children are hit by cars on Halloween than any other single day, so it’s important for children to be visible and to practice pedestrian safety. He said, “Children should carry a flashlight or glow sticks and costumes should be bright-colored or have reflective tape to highlight them. 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
• Keep decorations like cornstalks and leaves away from heat sources and lit candles. Switch to battery operated candles.
• 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.
• 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.
• Remind youngsters to cross at crosswalks or corners and not to dart out between parked cars.
• 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, type Halloween Safety in the search bar, or call the Public Fire Safety Education Hotline at 1-877-9-NO-FIRE.



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