Halloween Safety Tips
Halloween safety tips from the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service and Winnipeg Police Service
Costume safety tips for trick-or-treaters
ATTENTION DRIVERS! Children will be very excited and their actions could be sudden and unpredictable. Exercise caution and drive slowly.
Have a safe and happy Halloween!
- Wear a bright and reflective costume.
- Carry a flashlight and use glow sticks or reflective tape as part of your costume.
- Stay away from open flames and make sure you know how to stop, drop and roll if your clothing catches fire.
- Use make-up instead of a mask because masks can shift and obscure vision.
- To prevent falls, ensure your costumes fits well and isn't too long.
- Trick-or-treat when it is still light outside and never enter a stranger's home.
- Children and youth should be accompanied by an adult while trick-or-treating. Young people should trick-or-treat in a group, especially if an adult is not present.
- Parents should discuss with children and youth the route they will be travelling and what time they are required to return home. Plan a trick-or-treat route ahead of time and pick well-lit streets.
- Stay on sidewalks, and look left, right and left again to be sure no cars are approaching before crossing the street. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic.
- Always cross the street at corners and crosswalks. Never cross between parked cars or in the middle of the block.
- Do not take short cuts, especially through alleys.
- Trick-or-treaters should only eat treats that have been examined by an adult caregiver.
- When examining treats, caregivers should look for signs of tampering including unusual appearance or discolouration, tiny pinholes, or tears in wrappers. Avoid homemade treats. Throw away anything that looks suspicious.
- Choking occurs most frequently among children under two years of age, but can happen at any age. Eating while playing, running, jumping, or talking increases the likelihood of choking.
- Only commercially-wrapped candy should be handed out to trick-or-treaters.
- Caregivers should be aware that many Halloween treats are not labeled with ingredients and can contain nuts, eggs, dairy products, and other allergens. Care should be taken to only allow children with food allergies to consume treats that have the ingredients listed. Treats should also be removed from packages prior to consuming to avoid cross contamination with non-safe products.
- Children should not use knives or other sharp instruments to carve pumpkins and should be supervised by an adult during pumpkin-carving activities.
- It is safest to use a flashlight, glow stick or battery-operated candle in a jack-o-lantern. If you use a real candle, use extreme caution. Make sure children are supervised when candles are lit.
- Be sure to place lit pumpkins well away from anything that can burn and away from trick-or-treaters, doorsteps, and walkways.
- Remember to keep exits clear of decorations so nothing blocks escape routes.
- Make sure your home is well-lit and your yard is clear and safe.
- Keep your pets secure so no harm comes to them or trick-or-treaters.
- Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper are highly flammable. Keep these and other decorations well away from all open flames and heat sources, including light bulbs and heaters.
- The Winnipeg Police Service should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.
Last update:
October 26, 2016