By Greg Fry

Kamloops RCMP, Kamloops Fire Rescue issue Halloween safety tips

Oct 31, 2017 | 3:11 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops RCMP members will be out in full force tonight ensuring a safe and happy Halloween in Kamloops.

Cpl. Jodi Shelkie notes police activity on Halloween night “can be brisk,” adding things tend to pick up later in the evening.

“That would be from teenagers or perhaps adults driving impaired. So don’t drink and drive. Celebrate at home or if you go out find an alternative way to get home. Take a cab or call a friend.”

As for the thousands of kids due to hit the streets this evening, she shared the following tips:

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• Wear makeup instead of a mask. This will allow you to see and be aware of everything going on around you while walking house to house. If you do wear a mask, make sure the eye holes are large enough for you to see through clearly.
• Wear reflective clothing. Bring a flashlight.
• Make sure your costume doesn’t drag on the ground so you don’t trip.
• Stay on the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.
• When you’re travelling from one house to the next, stay on one side of the road. Avoid zig-zagging back and forth across the road.
• Only go to homes with lights on.

As for parents, Shelkie advises:

• Discuss with their children what they should do in the case of an emergency.
• Young children of any age be accompanied by an adult.
• If you buy a costume, look for one made of flame retardant material.
• Although tampering is rare, tell kids to bring the candy home to be inspected before consuming anything.
• Put pets inside as they are frightened by fireworks.
• Battery-powered Jack-O-Lantern candles are preferable to a real flame.

Lyle Weninger, life safety educator with Kamloops Fire Rescue, notes you have to be 21 years old to get a permit to handle fireworks and says people should pay attention to the following tips.

“They have to be used on our own property. Not on school or public lands. You want to to follow the manufacturers directions,” he says. “You also never want to hold fireworks in your hands and sparklers get really hot and can burn so you may want to douse them in a bucket of water afterwards.”

He also reminds people to:

• Have a fire extinguisher or bucket of water handy while setting up your fireworks display.
• Maintain a safe distance from juniper or cedar bushes, houses or structures — anything that is flammable.
• Kids’ costumes are flammable so keep away from pumpkins with a flame or, if they’re wearing a costume, don’t hold sparklers because they could start a fire.