For the first time in years, the City of Milwaukee has moved its official trick-or-treating hours to the night of Halloween, Friday, Oct. 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Typically, trick-or-treat begins in the city on a Sunday at noon.
Carlos Velazquez-Sanchez, fire education director for the Milwaukee Fire Department, has tips on how to keep your family safe this Halloween.
“Go out, enjoy the festivities, but let’s not be oblivious of the fact that, just like there’s a lot of good people, there’s also a few bad people,” Velazquez-Sanchez said. “We cannot let our guard down.”
‘Never assume that a driver saw you’
Evening trick-or-treating hours means it will get dark. Velazquez-Sanchez said trick-or-treaters should make themselves as visible as possible, especially if their costumes have dark colors.
He suggests wearing a vest with reflectors, neon lights, glow sticks or flashing lights on the front or back of their costume or on a backpack that will make them as visible as possible to drivers.
Many things distract drivers these days, Velazquez-Sanchez said. Many people might see a driver looking straight ahead and walk into the street thinking the driver saw them.
“Never assume that a driver saw you,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if we have the walk sign, it doesn’t matter if you’re in a controlled intersection (with signs, signals and painted crosswalks), just take those extra couple seconds to look both ways.”
Velazquez-Sanchez recommends pedestrians make eye contact with a driver before crossing to ensure the driver saw them.
Drivers should keep a careful eye out for pedestrians and remember that families will be walking around during the festivities, Velazquez-Sanchez said.
Adults passing out candy, especially those in scary costumes, should be mindful about their limits when scaring children.
“Let’s not be chasing kids around trying to scare them more than we have to,” he said. “A little tease is fine, it’s Halloween. But to chase them to the point where they feel like they need to cross the street without looking both ways because they’re fearful and they just want to get away from that, that is dangerous.”
Newer children’s costumes are often designed with fire safety in mind more than in the past, Velazquez-Sanchez said. However, he warned that some children’s costumes are still made of very flammable plastic and kids should still stay cautious.
He said families should be aware of children walking near fire pits in front yards and candles inside pumpkins.
If a child is young, hyper or unaware of fire risks, Velazquez-Sanchez suggests that parents accompany them, especially when fire pits are in the front yard or candles are near the porch.
Children who aren’t careful around fire pits can risk tripping into a fire and unattended candles on porches, Velazquez-Sanchez said.
He also recommends families get battery-powered candles that can be found for cheap at stores like Dollar Tree or Family Dollar.
Those still opting to use regular candles should never leave them unattended.
“We cannot stress that enough,” Velazquez-Sanchez said. “Leaving an unattended candle is one of the main reasons during the holidays that we see fires starting.”
If clothing does catch on fire, Velazquez-Sanchez said to immediately stop moving, cover your face, drop to the ground and roll to smother the flames.
Reassurance for nervous parents
Velazquez-Sanchez encourages parents nervous about safety to go out and enjoy the festivities. He said the time is perfect to connect with others in your neighborhood.
“Milwaukee is a caring city,” Velazquez-Sanchez said. “The majority of the people in the city, we look after kids even when they’re not our own.”
If residents need any help, Velazquez-Sanchez said they can always call 911.
“We’re working for our residents. We are employees of our residents,” he said.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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