Escambia County Encourages Residents to Celebrate Halloween Safely

As the community participates in Halloween festivities and trick-or-treating this weekend, Escambia County encourages residents to celebrate safely by following the safety tips below:

Trick-or-Treating Safety Tips

• Plan your route. When planning where to trick-or-treat, make sure the location is in a well-lit, familiar community. Always remain on sidewalks or walking paths when possible.
• Cross streets safely. Use crosswalks when crossing the street. Make sure to always look both ways when crossing the street.
• Supervise children. A parent or guardian should always supervise trick-or-treaters under 12 years old.
• Travel in groups. When possible, trick-or-treat in groups.
• Wear visible costumes. When trick-or-treating at night, wear reflective tape, carry glow sticks or have a flashlight to remain visible to drivers.
• Wear masks safely. If your child is wearing a mask, make sure the holes around the eyes are large enough so they can see out.
• Sort through the candy. After trick-or-treating, sort through and discard any opened packaging or suspicious items.
• Drive slowly and remain alert. When traveling during Halloween, drive with extreme caution as trick-or-treaters are outside. Always drive slowly in neighborhoods and watch for any children crossing the street unexpectedly.

Button Battery Safety

Escambia County EMS reminds residents to be careful with button batteries. These small, disc-shaped batteries could look like a tasty treat, but they can have scary results. Swallowing a button battery can cause serious damage to the esophagus. If a button battery has been ingested, swallowing honey can slow down the harmful impacts until seen by a medical professional. Escambia County EMS created a video on button battery safety, which can be viewed here.

Fire Safety Tips

• Choose flame-resistant costumes. When selecting a costume, make sure to stay away from long, trailing fabric.
• Avoid the open flames. Keep all decorations away from open flames and other heat sources like light bulbs and heaters. Tell children to stay away from open flames and be sure they know how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches fire.
• Use battery-operated candles. Use a battery-operated candle or glow stick in jack-o'-lanterns. If you do use real candles, use extreme caution and watch children at all times.
• Keep exits clear. Make sure all decorations remain clear of all escape routes inside the home.
• Check your smoke alarms. Make sure all smoke alarms in the home are working.

Animal Safety Tips

• Keep pets comfortable. Keep any anxious pets safe on Halloween in a separate room or kennel with calming music and their favorite toys.
• Stash the candy away. Halloween candy, including chocolate and sugar-free candies, can cause severe health issues in pets when ingested. Lollipop sticks, wrappers, and plastic bits can also cause choking hazards or intestinal blockages. Keep your candy stash tucked away and remind kids to do the same.
• Costume comfort. Pet costumes should fit comfortably and not limit movement, sight, or their ability to breathe, bark or meow. Be sure to check the costume carefully for small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that could present a choking hazard. If a pet shows signs of distress in a costume, it's best to leave it at home.
• Decorations can be dangerous. Halloween decorations are fun but can pose a threat to animals. Keep candles and jack-o'-lanterns out of reach and secure any electrical cord to prevent chewing. Avoid fake spiderwebs, glowsticks, or small decorative pieces that could be swallowed.
• Bring outdoor pets inside. If you have outdoor pets, help keep them safe on Halloween by bringing them inside.
• Check your pet records. Animal Welfare Officers respond to several bite calls every year on Halloween. Make sure your pets have a current rabies vaccination and can provide proof to an Animal Welfare Officer if a bite occurs. Pets should also have identification tags and/or microchips in the event they escape when opening the door to trick-or-treaters.

It's that time of year again! Change your clock, change your batteries.

• Remember to change and test the batteries in your smoke alarms when setting your clocks back an hour for daylight saving time, which ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 2.
• The National Fire Protection Association reports that 71% of smoke alarms that failed to operate had missing, disconnected or dead batteries.
• Smoke alarms are a key part of your home fire escape plan. When there is a fire, smoke spreads fast. Working smoke alarms give you early warning so you can get outside quickly. Smoke alarms save lives.
• For information about obtaining a home smoke detector, call 850-595-HERO (4376). City of Pensacola residents may call 850-436-5200 for smoke detector installation assistance.