From the candy to the costumes, Halloween an exciting time for kids and parents. When dressing your little ghouls and goblins this holiday, it is important to review some safety tips to ensure that a howling good time is had by all. Whether you choose to celebrate by trick-or-treating, passing out candy, or attending a local trunk-or-treat, there are many tips that you can follow to ensure our community has a fun and safe Halloween.
Choose a Safe Location
Picking a safe location is one of the most important aspects for those that will be venturing out for Halloween festivities. Locations that are well known in the county, and also well-lit are a good starting point for a fun evening.
Fulton Heights offers several events on Halloween including a parade and costume contest. During these events, Mitchell Avenue is closed to through traffic and Salisbury Police Officers will be actively involved in the fun. There are several neighborhoods that have ample lighting and sidewalks that make them great and safe choices for trick-or-treating.
Trick-or-Treating Safety Tips
Throughout my years working numerous Halloween nights, one of the biggest safety tips I can offer is to make sure that your children are supervised at all times. Keep in close proximity of your children so you do not confuse your child with another in a matching costume.
Try your best to cross streets at corners, and obey traffic and crosswalk signals. Put your electronic devices away and remain alert and aware at all times.
If you are going to be out after dark, remember all black costumes make it hard for drivers to see at night. If possible, placing small pieces of reflective tape on the backs of your children or their candy buckets helps with making them more visible. Placing a battery-operated flashlight in their candy bucket also makes a cool effect while making them more visible.
This Halloween looks like it may be rather warm outside. Be sure to continually check on your friends, family, and children to make sure that they remain well hydrated and do not get overheated.
Once you have made it home for the evening, be sure to check your child’s candy. Confirm it has not been tampered with in any way. Homemade candy may not be a good choice to allow your children to consume unless you are familiar with the person who made it.
Trick-or-Treating Friendly House
The best way to make your house the most appealing on the block for trick-or-treaters is to have a well-lit path and area for distributing candy. If any parts of the pathway to your home could be hazardous, ensure they are well marked to avoid unwanted injuries.
Trick-or-treaters get excited and are usually wearing items that obstruct their vision. If at all possible, try to remove vehicles from the street to increase visibility for parents, trick-or-treaters, and drivers. Also, make sure that your decorations do not cover your house numbers. In case of an emergency, first responders need to be able to clearly see addresses.
Away for the Night
If you are going to be out enjoy the festivities, there are a few tips that can keep your home safe while you are away. Sadly, this is an easy night for criminals to know if you are home or not simply by them knocking and not getting a response. Leave lights and the TV or radio on inside your home. Motion lights are a plus. Secure all windows and doors. If you have trustworthy neighbors who will be home, let them know you will be away for the evening and ask them to keep an eye on your home. The best community watch is a community watch that communicates.
Something Spooky
If something or someone is making you feel uneasy or if something seems out of place in your neighborhood, remember the police are working 24/7. If you somehow become separated from your child, immediately call for assistance. Have a picture of them in their current costume, a recent picture out of costume, and the location where you last saw them. If you come home to unfamiliar vehicles or people at your home, call local law enforcement. The non-emergency line is 704-216-8500 or the emergency number is 911.
Stay safe and enjoy making memories this Halloween in Rowan County!
