Halloween 2011: How to Keep Your Family Safe on Halloween
Each year millions of children across the U.S. dress up for a beloved holiday in which children are able to collect sacks full of candy and enjoy the world of make believe monsters and goblins.
For parents with young children concerned about the safety of their kids while trick-or-treating, the U.S. Consumer and Product Safety Commission has released a detailed safety alert for parents taking their children out and about to collect candy this Halloween.
The Commission told parents to warn children not to eat any of the collected candy until adults have an opportunity to examine the candy they receive.
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The Commission also encouraged parents to accompany their children and keep a watchful eye while youth are walking along the streets of neighborhoods and communities.
Furthermore, the Commission urged parents to purchase flame resistant costumes, make sure children are wearing proper footwear and fitted costumes, and to choose houses where residents are known and lights are turned on outside.
Other tips concerning Halloween safety include keeping children away from candles and jack-o’-lanterns, avoiding homemade treats, and if children enter into homes of strangers for adults to accompany them.
Some safety experts suggested that families, churches, or schools organize their own Halloween parties to be able to ensure further safety of costume-clad children.
For some parents these Halloween tips will be unnecessary until later in the week as some towns along the East Coast have been forced to delay Halloween due to safety concerns following a rare weekend storm that left areas inundated with snow and without power.
Hundreds of thousands of people along the Northeast currently remain without power, some of which may have to stay without power for an entire week.
Several deaths that happened over the weekend have been ascribed to the storm and communities across the East Coast have been assessing the safety of allowing their children to partake in trick or treating.
Chester, New Jersey has been forced to post-pone Halloween festivities due to the snow, power outages, and downed wires that could be hazardous to young children walking along the streets to collect candy.
Several counties in Connecticut have also suggested delaying the holiday.
Mayor Mark Boughton of Danbury Connecticut told Fox News, “With snow many wires down…the sidewalks will not be safe for pedestrians (Monday) night.”
Boughton added, “We have 200 streets with wires down … (we) would hate to have children hurt.”
