Happy Halloween everyone! Amidst last minute costume fixes and trips to the store for one more bag of candy, safety can easily be overlooked during this spooky holiday. Be sure to keep the following fire protection tips in mind as you prepare your trick-or-treaters for their night out, or put on the finishing touches before your own Halloween fun!
Lighting Jack-o’-lanterns
Even the most timid can enjoy the glowing jack-o’-lantern faces adorning porches this evening. However, these festive doormen can become dangerous if they are not lit with caution. Make sure to choose your method of light based on where you will be. If you will be handing out candy and staying close by, we recommend using tea lights. The flames in tea lights are not able to get large enough to set the sides of the pumpkin on fire and have shorter lifespans should you forget to extinguish them when the night is finished. If you are going out of the house but still want to light your jack-o’-lanterns, battery-powered tea lights are the safest option. The small size prevents these lights from becoming too hot to be safe, and many also come with timer options.
Cooking Quick Dinners
Many parents will spend the evening trying to prepare something healthy for their kids to eat before the candy feast later that night. Between helping with costumes and greeting early trick-or-treaters, the pans on the stove or in the oven are often left unattended. If you must step away from the stove, ask an older child or spouse to watch the food until you can return. Set timers on your phone and on the stove itself to remind you about the meals still in progress. It only takes a few seconds for your pan to set fire to your whole kitchen, and one moment is more than long enough for a curious child to pull on a handle and be severely burned by the contents. Do not allow this evening’s busyness to take your attention away from what’s cooking!
Staying Warm
Halloween weather can vary greatly across the country, and those facing chilly evenings have a few unique things to watch for before the night begins. If your fireplace or space heaters are running, be sure to turn them off before leaving the house, even if you’re just going around the neighborhood. If you’re waiting for the candy-seekers at the end of your driveway around a fire pit, be sure there are no flammable materials nearby and that the fire is started in a safe container, over a clear surface (not over the leaves at the end of your driveway, for example). If you will be smoking throughout the evening, pay close attention to where you discard your cigarettes. A smoldering cigarette tossed in between houses can turn someone’s Halloween into a true nightmare.
We hope everyone enjoys this entertaining holiday and returns with big bags of candy and a safe house waiting for them!