SOUTHERN UTAH – Halloween should be scary and fun, not scary and dangerous. American Medical Response is dedicated to injury and illness prevention and reminds everyone to be safe on Halloween. Dressing your trick-or-treaters safely and carefully planning your evening increase the likelihood of an injury free Halloween.

AMR medics recommend the following tips for a safe and fun holiday:

•       Parents should help select costumes.  Be sure the material is both flame retardant and warm and sturdy enough to take lots of activity.

•       Leave the child’s face unobstructed.  If a trick-or-treater wears a hat, be sure it fits well and doesn’t block vision.  Safe “goblins” wear make-up on their faces, rather than masks or helmets that are hard to see, hear or breathe through.

•       Stripe the costume with highly reflective tape front and back to make the trick-or-treater easier to see in the dark. Don’t let children wear a dark costume or camouflage.

•       Require children wear flat shoes that fit well, without heels.  Avoid over-sized shoes such as clown costume shoes.

•        Always make sure a child is accompanied by an adult.

•       Trick-or-treat in well-lighted areas. Make sure each child has a flashlight to assist their vision as they are walking from house to house.

•       Stay on the sidewalks where available and walk facing the traffic. Cross streets only at intersections. Don’t jump ditches. Stay alert.

•       Approach only those homes with porch lights or other front lights on.

•       Do not allow children to eat any treats until the group has returned home and an adult has examined the contents of each bag.

•       Do not eat anything that is even slightly suspicious. For example, look for commercially wrapped candy that may have been unwrapped and then re-wrapped.

These tips are provided by American Medical Response Inc. one of America’s leading provider of medical transportation, provides services in 40 states and the District of Columbia.