Staying safe while trick-or-treating

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Stephanie Fox from the American Red Cross has some important safety tips to make sure your kids have a safe and fun Halloween.

Transcript

00:00 Stephanie Fox of the American Red Cross is here with some tips to make Halloween safe.

00:05 Stephanie, good morning. Happy Halloween. A little bit early. I love the decorations you've got going on today.

00:10 Thank you. Happy Halloween.

00:13 If you're planning to trick-or-treat for our viewers out there this Halloween,

00:18 how do we keep the fun, you know, that scary fun, but not actually scary? We want safety to be top of mind.

00:26 Absolutely. So one of the first things to remember is not everybody is going to be welcoming

00:31 trick-or-treaters. So as you're out in your neighborhood, feel free to approach houses

00:35 that have their porch lights on. Maybe they have a presence of folks in the driveway or in the yard,

00:40 and that lets you know that they are ready for tricks and treats. You also want to make sure

00:44 you're planning your route in advance, letting everybody know exactly what time you're going to

00:48 leave, where you're going to meet, and what time you're going to come back, so that if for some

00:53 reason you do get separated from your group, you'll be able to find them along the route and along the way.

00:57 All right, let's talk about the kids' costumes, and maybe parents' costumes as well. All right.

01:03 You look scary today. That was a good one. All right. And what can you, what should you do

01:11 to keep things safe, and what should you remind them to do as far as the kids' costumes are concerned?

01:15 It's really important for folks to be seen, so we encourage every member of the family to carry

01:22 a flashlight with them, and to have something reflective on them. Maybe have some tape put on

01:26 the front, the back, the sides of the costume. But don't forget, the weather is definitely going to

01:31 change as the week culminates with Halloween, and as we get from the early hours of Halloween into

01:38 the evening. So if you have some of those outer layers that are going to go over your costumes,

01:42 make sure that has a reflective tape as well. And make sure that you have stayed away from any kind

01:48 of open flames. Some of the materials that are being used for costumes could be flammable, so

01:53 stay away from those jack-o'-lanterns if you can. And just make sure, again, that you can be seen,

01:58 and that you can see other people. I have never thought about that before. Okay, great tip this

02:03 morning. Don't want to catch fire. What are some things, though, that parents should plan out in

02:07 advance in terms of trick-or-treating to help keep an eye out, maybe keep hazards away from the kids,

02:12 anything that could be a little bit sketchy as you're going around the neighborhoods?

02:17 First, talk to your kids about staying on the sidewalk as they are going from house to house,

02:21 or if you happen to live in a neighborhood like mine that doesn't have sidewalks,

02:24 go ahead and stay as close to the curb as you possibly can. As you're wandering and walking,

02:29 stay off of people's private properties. Don't cut through yards, don't cut through backyard areas,

02:34 don't cut up alleys, and just make sure that you are staying right in the public access way.

02:40 As you are welcoming trick-or-treaters as homeowners, make sure that everything is clear

02:45 for folks to get up to the door, remove any kind of leaves or sticks or anything that could be a

02:49 slip or trip hazard, and watch out for those pets. It may be a little spooky for them to have folks

02:54 come into the door, ring in the doorbell, holler in tricks and treats, so make sure that you have

02:58 them under your control, maybe put them in a back room just so they don't get scared.

03:02 Really, really great tips this morning. Stephanie Fox of the American Red Cross,

03:06 always a pleasure having you on and always fun to talk Halloween. Thanks for joining us.

03:11 Thank you.

03:12 Great stuff.

03:14 Always.

03:15 Always. All right, safety doesn't just apply to your family while trick-or-treating.

03:20 Here's Jeff Cornish with tips to keep your pets safe on Halloween.

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