Stay Safe This Halloween in Plainfield: Police

With Halloween right around the corner, the Plainfield Police Department encourages everyone to follow the safety tips published by safekids.org, which are: 

WALK AND DRESS SAFELY

• Cross the streets at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
• Look left, right, and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
• Put electronic devices down and keep your head up.  Walk, do not run, across the street.
• Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
• Always walk on sidewalks or paths.  If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.  Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
• Watch for cars that are turning or backing up.  Teach children never to dart into the street or cross between parked cars.
• Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
• Choose face paint/makeup when possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
• Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.
• When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.

DRIVE SAFELY ON HALLOWEEN

Slow down and be alert in neighborhoods.  Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.

• Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
• Eliminate any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the roadway and your surroundings.
• Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn on your headlights earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances and to make your car more visible.

The Plainfield Fire Protection District also offered Halloween fire safety tips to keep your holiday celebration enjoyable:

• Avoid costumes with billowing or long trailing fabric and make sure eye holes on masks are large enough to see out.
• Advise children to stay away from open flames (candles, touches, fire pits, etc.) and make sure they know how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches on fire by stopping immediately, dropping to the ground, covering their face with their hands, and rolling over and over to put the fire out.
• Have children carry flashlights or glow sticks while trick or treating.
• When decorating with cornstalks and crepe paper remember to keep them and other decorations away from open flames such as candles, and heat sources like light bulbs and heaters.
• The safest way to light your jack-o-lantern is with a flashlight or battery operated candle.  If you do use a candle in your jack-o-lantern please keep it away from anything that will burn such as curtains or other decorations, and locate it so it will not be near children trick or treating, doorsteps, walkways and yards.
• Consider using flashlights as alternatives to candles or torch lights when decorating walkways and yards.  The concern is for children who may get too close to an open flame and whose costume may brush against it.
• Always keep your exits clear of decorations so if there is a fire they do not block your escape route.
• When attending parties at others’ homes check for ways out of the home in the event of a fire and plan how you would get out.  Teach children to plan this way as well.

For more information about fire and life safety call the Plainfield Fire Protection District at 815-436-5335 or visit www.plainfieldfpd.com. Additional information is available on the National Fire Protection Association Halloween Safety website at http://sparky.org/parentpage/parents.htm. 

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