Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Of all the holidays, Halloween is one of the most enjoyed by youngsters.  To keep
trick-or-treaters happy and safe, the Alhambra Fire Department offers the following safety reminders, with best wishes for a happy and safe holiday!

MAKE SURE YOUR KIDS DRESS UP SAFELY
 Check that the costumes are flame-retardant so the little ones aren’t in danger near burning jack-o-lanterns and other fire hazards;
 Keep costumes short to prevent trips, falls, and other bumps in the night;
. . try make-up instead of a mask.  Masks can be hot an uncomfortable, and, more importantly, they can obstruct a child’s vision – a dangerous thing when kids are crossing streets and going up and down steps;
 Make sure kids wear light colors or put reflective tape on their costumes;
 Trick-or-treaters always should be in groups so they aren’t a tempting target for real-life goblins.  Parents should accompany young children.

MAKE TRICK-OR-TREATING TROUBLE FREE
 Make sure older kids trick-or-treat with friends.  Together, map out a safe route so parents know where they’ll be.  Tell them to stop only at familiar homes where the outside lights are on;
 Try to get your kids to trick-or-treat while it’s still light out.  If it’s dark, make sure someone has a flashlight and pick well-lighted streets;
 Make sure kids know not to enter strange houses or strangers’ cars.

CONSIDER THIS
 Parents and kids can avoid trick-or-treating troubles entirely by organizing a Halloween costume party with treats, games, contests, music, scary stories, and much more.  Make your Halloween party the place to be!  Schools, fire fighters, libraries, or civic groups in many communities organize “haunted houses” and other Halloween festivities for families.

TREATS
 Kids need to know not to eat their treats until they get home.  One way to keep trick-or- treaters from digging in while they’re still out is to feed them a meal or a snack beforehand;
 Check out all treats at home in a well-lighted place;
 What to eat?  Only unopened candies and other treats that are in original wrappers.  Don’t forget to inspect fruit and homemade goodies for anything suspicious.  By all means, remind kids not to eat everything at once, or they’ll be feeling pretty ghoulish for awhile!

DRESSED UP AND DANGEROUS?
 Halloween blood and gore are harmless stuff for the most part.  But sometimes dressing up as a superhero, a swash-buckling pirate, or an alien from outer space – coupled with the excitement of Halloween – brings out aggressive behavior.  Even fake knives, swords, guns, and other costume accessories can hurt people.  If these objects are part of a child’s costume, make sure they are made from cardboard or other flexible materials.  Better yet, challenge kids to create costumes that don’t need “weapons” to be scary and fun.

Halloween can be a lot of fun for parents and kids alike – if everybody remembers the tricks and the treats of playing safe!