Aiden Thompson from Donegal Safety Training Solutions talks this week about the dangers surrounding Halloween.
Like a lot of other people, Halloween is one of my favourite times of the year. For kids though this can be a potentially dangerous time, especially when they are dressed up for trick or treating and rushing from one house to another, often wearing dark costumes.
As a parent, I was often invited to my children’s national school to deliver a safety talk to kids about Halloween and as a result, I produced a safety leaflet which I am pleased to share now on this website too. If you work in a school or are a member of a parent’s association, you could share this safety leaflet today with your school or parents’ group.
H – Have a responsible adult or older child accompany young children when trick or treating. Some kids are very comfortable out in the streets with their friends but some are not so street savvy. Ideally, with so many children rushing from house to house, particularly in large poorly lit housing estates, there is a risk of your child becoming separated from their friends. There will also be numerous children wearing the same costumes or masks and there is a risk that a child could end up following the wrong group or adult because of some confusion.
A – Always insist that your children carry a torch or light source for poorly lit areas. We must also teach our children to avoid going anywhere near fireworks or bonfires if they are not with their parents or an older guardian, these are particularly dangerous and every year there are multiple cases of kids being injured by fireworks. We must also remember that the costumes our kids wear are mostly made of synthetic materials which can catch fire very easily. Ensure that your
fireguards are up at home and there are no naked candles that your child could brush past which could cause a costume to catch fire and cause a bad burn. It is imperative that if a child’s clothing were to catch fire that we get the child to drop
to the ground and we suffocate the fire with a coat or blanket. Do not teach the child to drop and roll as this only causes the fire to get bigger because we are circulating oxygen around the burning surface. By dropping and suffocating the fire
we remove one of the three elements needed for a fire to continue burning, the oxygen. If a child does get a bad burn call for help immediately or transport them to the A+E department as soon as possible. Remember, the emergency services will
be very busy on Halloween night and there may be long delays in response times!
L- Look left and right while crossing roads, remind your child of the Safe Cross Code. Ensure that they do not run out into the road from between parked cars or from behind larger vehicles that are parked up. We also need to ensure that the masks or outfits that our children wear do not restrict their vision. Check them yourself to ensure there is good peripheral vision.
L- Leave any animals and pets inside a garage or spare room for the night with some water and food. Even the most trusted or docile pet can become dangerous when they are scared so teach your children not to approach a neighbour’s pet or any
stray animals. We should also ensure that animals are not mistreated by deliberately scaring them with fireworks or by tying fireworks to them. This is not funny in any circumstance and is simply cruel.
O- Only eat wrapped sweets that you recognise if you are out trick or treating. Never eat homemade treats that a stranger offers you, despite how good they look or the effort they say was required to make them. You do not know what ingredients are in them or if these homemade treats were prepared safely by a competent cook. If you have allergies, be particularly vigilant when eating sweets or treats as a simple mistake can easily happen. Children who are prescribed certain medication should be carrying it in case they need it in an emergency. There are also recent reports of cannabis jellies causing significant danger to young children, so a simple rule for your child is if it is not wrapped or recognisable it’s not eaten.
W- Wrap up warm, enjoy your night and look out for each other. Most costumes are quite flimsy and a child can become very cold if they stay out too long. Ensure they are wearing hats, gloves or long-sleeve layers underneath their costumes to trap in heat and if it is a wet night perhaps, they could wear a coat over their costumes as they walk from house to house and remove it once they are outside someone’s home.
E- Everybody has a right to privacy and respect. If a family or elderly neighbour doesn’t want to join in the Halloween traditions that’s their choice. We live in a multicultural society and some cultures simply do not recognise this tradition. We
must not damage anyone’s property or deliberately set out to target a specific home because they are not participating.
E- Elderly people can be frail and vulnerable. Remember to treat them with respect and dignity. Don’t try to frighten them or play tricks on them that could hurt or scare them. Never allow someone to throw fireworks at an elderly persons home as
this can cause the older person a significant fright or injury.
N- Never break your parents’ rules about timekeeping! They will be worried if you’re not home on time or if you have left your planned route. If you do carry a phone, ensure it is charged up or has credit in case you need to call home to be collected.
Aiden Thompson is a PHECC registered paramedic and former Search And Rescue winchman with the Irish Coastguard helicopter, R118, based in Sligo. As a PHECC registered first aid instructor and an Irish Heart Foundation training site coordinator Aiden delivers the highest standard of training to members of the public.
If you would like any further information on courses available in your area, please contact Aiden on 0863111661 or visit his website www.dsts.ie for further details.