KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — With Halloween around the corner, local emergency workers are providing tips to ensure the safety of adults and children alike. Though we often think of making sure children are safe from harmful candies and individuals, we rarely consider the fire risks involved with decorations and flammable.

The following are a few Halloween Fire Safety Tips:

• When choosing a costume, stay away from long trailing fabric. If your child is wearing a mask, be sure the eyeholes are large enough to see out of.
• Provide children with flashlights to carry lighting or glow sticks as part of their costume.
• Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper catch fire easily. Keep all decorations away from open flames and other heat sources like light bulbs and heaters.
• Use a battery-operated candle or glow-stick in jack-o-lanterns. If you use a real candle, use extreme caution. Make sure children are watched at all times when candles are lit. When lighting candles, be sure to use long, fireplace-style lighters or matches. Make sure anything with a flame is far enough out of the way that trick-or-treaters or decor will not come near and potentially catch fire.
• Remember to keep exits clear of decorations so nothing blocks escape routes.
• Make sure all smoke alarms in your home are working.
• Tell children to stay away from open flames including jack-o-lanterns with candles in them. Be sure they know how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches fire.
• If your child is planning to go to a Halloween party outside of the home, have them look for exits and plan how to leave in case of an emergency. Have children practice stop, dropping and rolling to the ground, covering their face with their hands, to put flames out.

In 900 reported cases, decorations were the first thing to ignite in home fires each year. Two of every five of these fires were reportedly caused by candles.

Source: Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory