Image Credit: CFJC Today / Jill Sperling

By Jill Sperling

Halloween Safety

Safety tips for a spooktacular Halloween

Oct 31, 2019 | 3:05 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s the spookiest day of the year, but that doesn’t mean it has to be unsafe.

As children go door-to-door to collect candy tonight (Oct. 31), RCMP are reminding parents to dress them in such a way to be seen by drivers.

“If they don’t have a lot of reflective material, then make sure they have a flashlight or are carrying glow sticks so they’re easily seen by motorists,” said Cpl. Jodi Shelkie.

Police recommend trick-or-treaters finish going down one side of the street before crossing to the other.

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“Don’t zig-zag back and forth,” Shelkie said. “Not only is it not efficient for gathering candy, but it’s also not safe to be darting out back and forth across the street.”

Shelkie says drivers also have a responsibility to keep people safe.

“We recommend that you drive extremely cautiously this evening,” she said. “There again, children could be darting out across the street. Make sure you’re really focused on where you’re driving and you’re looking for children that could be moving around on the streets.”

Image Credit: CFJC Today / Jill Sperling

Many people choose to set off fireworks to celebrate Halloween.

“Never hold fireworks in your hands; follow the manufacturer’s instructions,” said Kamloops Fire Rescue’s Life Safety Educator Lyle Weninger. “You want to keep them away from structures and bushes. Cedars and junipers are really flammable and every year we seem to have one or two of those incidents where the fireworks have landed on the bushes and started them on fire.”

Weninger recommends Halloween decorations are placed a safe distance away from candles and that they don’t obstruct escape routes.

Image Credit: CFJC Today / Jill Sperling

“Make sure you keep your exits clear of decorations, or large bails of hay, or scarecrows, just so the exits are clear in case you did have a fire inside your house,” Weninger said.

At the end of the night, Shelkie says parents should check over candy to make sure it hasn’t been tampered with, and decorations should come inside.

Image Credit: CFJC Today / Jill Sperling

“We ask that people, at the end of Halloween, at the end of the evening tonight, bring in all your decorations, especially your pumpkins,” she said. “There tend to be people who will do mischief with pumpkins at the end of the night.”