Tips for a safe night of Trick-or-Treating in Milwaukee

The City of Milwaukee Trick-or-Treat event for 2017 is scheduled for Sunday, October 29 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.

Milwaukee Pоlіcе Department Safety Division crime prevention tips to help make Halloween safe and more enjoyable for everyone.

Children wait for this day all year long, as do some adults. They spend weeks deciding on just the right costumes, dreaming of bags of goodies and parties. While Halloween is a cherished tradition, the excitement of the event can cause children and parents to forget to be safe while trick or treating or attending parties. Both children and adults need to think about safety on this annual day of make-believe.

Before children start out on “trick or treat” rounds, parents should make sure that:

• When designing costumes, keep safety in mind to ensure that the children have a fun-filled and safety-filled Halloween.
• Costumes are loose enough so that warm clothes can be worn underneath to allow freedom of movement in the event of cold weather.
• Costumes are not too long that they are a tripping hazard, when walking or climbing steps to the front door to get their treats.
• Consider using makeup instead of a mask so that a child’s vision will not be blocked when walking on the sidewalk or crossing the street.
• For youngsters under the age of 12, attach their name, address and telephone number (including the area code) to their clothes, but not in an easily visible place.
• Children travel only in familiar areas, along a prearranged route, and instructed never to a stranger’s home.
• A return time has been established.
• Explain to youngsters not to eat any treats until you have inspected it. A meal or a snack beforehand will help deter them from digging into their candy.

The Milwaukee Pоlіcе Department Safety Division urges motorists to be especially alert on Halloween and offers the following driving tips:

• Slow down in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals. Side street speed limits are 25 MPH.
• Watch for children who may dart out into the street at any time, especially from between parked cars.
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully. Stop before the sidewalk before exiting the alley.
• If you are driving children on their “trick or treat” rounds, be sure they exit on the curb side, away from traffic. (And of course, make sure everyone’s safety belt is fastened, including the driver.)
• Adults, if you are on the way to a costume party, do not wear your mask while driving and avoid costumes that make it difficult to move your arms or legs.
• If you are planning on drinking, have a designated driver so that you can arrive home safe.

Planning ahead can help make this Halloween a safe one. Taking simple fire safety precautions, like making sure fabrics for costumes and decorative materials are flame-resistant, can prevent fires.

Facts & Figures

• Decorations for special events accounted for an annual average of 1,000 home fires, most often involving candles, and causing two civilian deaths and $6.8 million in direct property damage per year from 1993-1998.
• More than 100 people die each year as a result of their clothing becoming ignited.

Safety Tips

• Purchase only costumes, wigs and props labeled flame-resistant or flame-retardant. When creating a costume, choose material that won’t easily ignite if it comes in contact with heat or flame. Avoid billowing or long trailing features.
• 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, heaters, etc.
• Use extreme caution when decorating with candles, and supervise children at all times when candles are lit. When lighting candles inside Jack-O-Lanterns, use long, fireplace-style matches and be sure to place lit pumpkins well away from all combustible items. Pumpkins can also be illuminated with small, inexpensive flashlights.
• Remember to keep exits clear of decorations, ensuring nothing blocks escape routes.
• Use flashlights as alternatives to candles or torch lights when decorating walkways and yards. They are much safer for trick-or-treaters, whose costumes may brush against the lighting.
• Instruct children to stay away from open flames or other heat sources. Be sure children know how to stop, drop and roll in the event their clothing catches fire. (Stop immediately, drop to the ground, covering your face with your hands, and roll over and over to extinguish flames.)
• Instruct children who are attending parties at others’ homes to locate the exits and plan how they would get out in an emergency.
• Provide children with lightweight flashlights to carry for lighting or as part of their costume