Halloween Fire Safety Tips

It’s Halloween night, and you know what that means? Your neighborhood will be full of witches, ghosts and goblins trick-or-treating. Before you get your candy dish ready, let’s go over some quick but important Halloween fire safety tips.

Avoid using real candles in your jack-o’-lanterns

Though traditionally jack-o’-lanterns are lit with a candle, you never know when a child or pet could accidentally knock into it. To avoid the risk of a costume, decorations or your home being burned, use battery-operated candles. Not only will the light from your pumpkins stay consistently bright all night long, but you can also customize the colour of the light for an extra spooky sight. Of course, the biggest win will be ensuring your home and property are protected.

Keep decorations away from open flames

It’s best to stay away from using open flames in your decorating this Halloween, in favour of battery operated or plugged-in lighting. However, if you do choose to use candles as part of your decorating, ensure that no other decorations or nearby that could potentially catch on fire. Additionally, make sure that any flames are in areas with low traffic, where they are not likely to be bumped into or knocked over.

Keep exits clear of decorations

Having a spooky entranceway is always fun, but consider how easy it would be for you, your family, and any visitors, to get in and out safely in the event of an emergency. Avoid hanging things that could easily get tangled in the feet of anyone using the entry way and ensure anything near the door is not blocking the ability for you to get in or out. Decorations that are hung above the door should also be double checked to ensure that they are not stopping the door from opening or closing all the way.

Make sure all smoke alarms in the home are working

Regardless of how you choose to decorate, whether you are staying in or going out this Halloween, it is always important to ensure that your home’s smoke detectors are working properly. Along with regularly changing the batteries, make sure to test the alarm to make sure you can hear it easily no matter where you are in your home.

If your property is tricked this Halloween and your home or business is damaged, DKI Canada's Member locations across Canada are available 24/7 to help. Whether the damage was wind, water or fire, or spooky Halloween experience, we are here to help.