Halloween is almost here, and with most families looking forward to celebrating it at home, its all the more important to know the potential fire risks and how to avoid them. Over Halloween the amount of house fires rise dramatically, but there are ways to prevent this. Consideration when buying decorations, costumes, and festive lighting will help more families around the country have a safe Halloween.

Candles

Candles are one of the greatest cause of large house fires, and all the more so at Halloween. Combined with costumes, decorations and celebrations, they pose a great risk for accidents. The most effective way of avoiding this is by swapping traditional candles for flameless, battery powered candles. With no risk of fire, the variety of LED candles available, and the fact you can leave them unattended, battery-operated candles can save a fire whilst still providing a warm glow. You can buy flickering versions to keep the feel of candlelight, and waterproof versions can be used outside. All in all, flameless candle is the safest choice of lighting you could make this Halloween.

However, if flameless candles are not available, or you want to continue using wax candles, there are some tips on how to use them as safely as possible. You must make sure you extinguish candles before you leave the room, place them in heat-resistant holders and on a steady table or shelf, ensure they are far away from any decorations, costumes, or any other material that might catch fire, and keep them away and out of reach from pets or children.

Costumes

Flammable costumes are one of the greatest risks for injury at Halloween. Bad quality clothing can ignite in seconds, and it is important we look at the label when buying Halloween outfits for little ones. A CE mark will ensure the clothing meets safety standards, and a quick check for appropriate safety instructions and warnings can make the difference. Look out for costumes containing cotton, silk or wool as these are a lot less likely to catch fire as quickly as synthetic materials. Always choose flame-resistant clothing if it is available. Try not to buy costumes with trailing material, as this will increase the risk of tripping and falling into a flame, or excess material catching. Make sure you are always keeping costumes away from naked flames if you have candles around the house, and always keep costumes so that children can see where they are going.

In case of emergency, teach little ones the Stop, Drop and Roll response when their clothing catches alight:

• Stop where you are, don’t run or the flames may get worse.
• Drop to the floor and lie flat
• Cover your face with your hands and roll from side to side until the flames are extinguished

Decoration

As families will be celebrating at their own home this Halloween, this advice is crucial for all of us. Decorations may consist of hanging or trailing objects, both of which may increase the likelihood of fire spreading. Don’t place decoration above candles and other naked flames and keep decoration out of the way of walkways and doorways. Older electrical decorations may have faulty wiring, so always check it over for worn wires or broken plugs. Plan for every contingency by implementing an evacuation plan, with no decorations obstructing the way. Always use battery-operated lights to place in Pumpkins or lanterns and see more about candle safety earlier in the post.

Arson

As Halloween comes up, fire brigades are stepping up warnings of potential arson. Arson is more likely during Halloween, at a time when vandalism is also rife. Rubbish heaps, abandoned cars and derelict buildings can all be used to start deliberate fires, and every Halloween the number of the fires peaks. Brigades are seeing sometimes around 90 percent of their fire calls at Halloween coming from deliberate fires such as these.

A way of preventing these is by ensuring there is no fuel for arsonists to burn, by lessening fly-tipping and making sure we notify the authorities on derelict buildings and cars that can also be used for deliberate fires.

Here at Firechief, we want you to feel safe. Our mission is to work hard every day to protect lives and property from fire by providing a range of fire safety products that can be trusted to perform when the heat is on.

The Firechief range includes high performance fire extinguishers, fire blankets, first aid kits and lithium-ion battery fire extinguishers.

For more information, call us on +44 (0)330 999 0019 or email sales@firechiefglobal.com.