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Fire Safety Tips
Staying Safe During Halloween
- Choose costumes that are bright or reflective and don’t drag on the ground.
- Provide children with flashlights or glow sticks to increase visibility.
- Ensure kids can see clearly through masks.
- Use battery-operated candles for jack-o-lanterns and other decorations.
- Keep matches, lighters, candles and fireworks out of children’s reach.
Safety Tips for Drivers
- Expect the unexpected – slow down and look for pedestrians. The chance of a serious or fatal collision increases when there are lots of kids and teens out on the streets.
- There will be more foot traffic on Halloween night and most of it will be excited young children, so give yourself extra time to navigate residential streets and be especially mindful while driving.
Halloween Health During COVID
The BC Centre for Disease Control provides the following tips to help avoid spreading the coronavirus this Halloween:
- Skip Halloween parties this year and socialize within your social or family bubble.
- Try including a mask or face-covering in costumes, and wear one if handing out candy or if you can’t distance from others.
- Trick-or-treat in groups of up to six people, and maintain distance from both other trick-or-treaters and those handing out candy.
- Stick to your neighbourhood, and respect homes with the lights out by staying away.
- Wash or sanitize your hands frequently throughout the evening, whether giving or receiving treats.
- If handing out treats, consider tongs, a baking sheet or a candy slide to keep your distance from trick-or-treaters. Only hand out sealed, pre-packaged treats.
- Consider standing outside to give out treats to prevent children from crowding doorways and having to knock or ring bells.
- Disinfect door knobs, handrails and other high-touch surfaces often throughout the evening.
See the Social Interactions section at bccdc.ca/covid19 for more tips.
Fire Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility!
Knowing the top causes of fires is a good way to start learning how to prevent fires. Did you know that cooking is the number one cause of fires in the home? Heating, electrical, smoking and candles are also among the top five causes.
You can also help prevent fire damage and injury by ensuring your family is prepared for a fire emergency by developing a home fire escape plan, and installing and regularly inspecting both smoke alarms and Carbon Monoxide detectors.
To reduce the types of fires mentioned above and to learn more about how to prepare for a fire emergency, check out all the resources listed below.
Knowing the top causes of fires is a good way to start learning how to prevent fires. Cooking is the Number 1 cause of fires in the home. Heating, electrical, smoking and candles are also among the top five causes. To reduce these types of fires, follow these simple steps.
Cooking
Help prevent cooking fires by staying in the kitchen while using the stove. Never leave your cooking, including the barbecue unattended! Keep anything that can catch fire - oven mitts, wooden utensils, towels - away from your stovetop. And never put water on a grease/oil fire!
Heating
Ensure that heaters are plugged directly in to the wall and that they are kept 3 feet/1 meter away from anything that can burn. Turn heaters off when you leave the room.
Electrical
Do not overload electrical outlets, ensure cords are in good condition without cracks or repairs, and do not put cords under carpets. Extension cords and power bars should be used as a temporary measure only.
Smoking
Smoking should be done outside only, and cigarettes shall be extinguished using a designated ashtray or water. Never try to extinguish cigarettes in garden soil or plant pots.
Candles
Choose flameless candles. If you must use candles, keep them on a flat, non-combustible surface, away from anything that can burn, and never leave them unattended.
More Information
For more information on how to keep your home and family safe, visit the National Fire Protection Association website. There, you can access Safety Tip Sheets and Safety Tip Sheets in Other Languages.
Working smoke alarms in the home reduce the risk of dying in a house fire by 50%. Every home is required to have working smoke alarms. Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of the home, on the ceiling outside of sleeping areas. Smoke alarms should be tested once per month, and batteries should be replaced twice a year. If your smoke alarm is older than 10 years, it is time to replace it. Check your smoke alarms today!
For more information on smoke alarms, view the "Smoke Alarms at Home" Tip Sheet (PDF).
Having a home fire escape plan in place is an important part of being prepared for a fire emergency. Every room should have two ways out, aisles should be clear, and an outside meeting place should be assigned. All family members should be familiar with the plan, and the entire family should practice escaping at least twice a year.
For more information, and for a family-friendly guide on how to create your family’s fire escape plan, view the "How to Make a Home Fire Escape Plan" Tip Sheet (PDF).
Carbon monoxide ("the silent killer") is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas that is created when fuels (such as gasoline, natural gas, propane oil, wood, coal and methane) burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel can be sources of carbon monoxide. If you have these appliances in your home, you should also have a carbon monoxide detector.
A person can be poisoned by a small amount of Carbon Monoxide over a longer period of time, or by a large amount of Carbon Monoxide over a shorter amount of time.
For more information on Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Monoxide detectors, view the "Carbon Monoxide Safety" Tip Sheet (PDF).
Children can and should be taught fire safety from a very young age. Here are a few steps you can take:
- Start talking to your children about the importance of smoke alarms, and what to do if they hear one.
- Teach your children how to call 911 for emergencies, and ensure they know their home address so they can get help if they need it.
- Practice your escape plan as a family.
- Teach your children the difference between hot and cool, and the risks of touching hot items.
- Show your children how to "Stop, Drop and Roll" if their clothes were to catch on fire.
For more information, activities and lesson plans about Fire Safety for Kids, visit Sparky.org.