Halloween Safety Tips for Fort McMurray

Halloween is an exciting time for families around the city as it’s full of special festivities and fun for kids (young and old).  

Although we were all hoping the snow would wait a week, it may be sticking around for Thursday. So, everyone should be extra cautious on the evening of October 31 to ensure the safety of our community’s children and youth who will be hitting the neighbourhood streets for special treats.

Safety Tips from the Canadian Red Cross

The following information provided by the Canadian Red Cross lists safety tips for families and the public to help everyone have a safe and happy Halloween.

• Costumes should be light-coloured and flame resistant with reflective strips so that children are more easily seen at night.  (And remember to put reflective tape on bikes, skateboards, and brooms, too!)
• Costumes should be short enough to avoid tripping.
• Remind children to keep away from open fires and candles. (Costumes can be extremely flammable.)
• Use face paint rather than masks or things that will cover the eyes.
• Remind children to walk, slither, and sneak on sidewalks – not in the street.
• Explain to children that calls should be made along one side of the street first and then the other, and that it’s best to cross the street only at intersections or crosswalks.
• Remind children to look both ways before crossing the street to check for cars, trucks, and low-flying brooms.
• Provide yourself or the children with a flashlight to see better and to be better seen.
• Have children plan their route and share it with you and the family. 
• Trick or Treaters should travel in groups of four or five. Young children should be accompanied by an adult.
• Visit homes that have the porch light on.
• Make sure children know they should accept treats at the door and must not get into cars or enter the homes or apartments of strangers.
• Remind children not to eat their treats and goodies until they are examined by an adult at home.  And candy should not be eaten if the package is already opened. Small, hard pieces of candy are a choking hazard for young children.
• Set agreed-to boundaries with your children.  Explain the importance of staying within them and arriving home on time.

Don’t forget to bundle up with extra clothing under lighter-clothed costumes. And if you have to put snowsuits over top of the costumes, chances are high you’ll still receive tricks or treats at the door, as are community is used to Halloween feeling like Christmas.

Happy Halloween, Fort McMurray!

About the author

Dawn Booth

Editor-in-Chief at YMM Parent | dawn@balsom.ca

Dawn Booth is the Editor-in-Chief of YMM Parent Magazine and Your McMurray Magazine. She has actively worked in the Wood Buffalo region's media industry since residing in Fort McMurray in 2007.

Her passion is writing poetry and puts it at the forefront of the community through her volunteer work as the President of NorthWord Magazine. Most important, Booth puts her family of five first, which includes her husband Ryan and their three children, Landon, Dawson and Tessa.