The Kelowna Fire Department (KFD) and the Kelowna RCMP have teamed up this year to offer some spooktacular Halloween safety tips to make this year’s trick or treating celebrations both fun and safe for everyone in our community.
Keep trick or treaters be safe this Halloween: City of Kelowna
Halloween home and community safety tips:
- Choose a costume that is bright, visible and without long trailing fabric that could catch flame
- Provide children with flashlights and/or glow sticks, so that passing cars can easily see them.
- Stick to the sidewalk. Do not jaywalk. Stay to one side of the street at a time.
- Have an adult or an older teenager accompany young children when trick-0r-treating.
- Keep all decorations away from open flames, especially dried flowers, crepe paper, cornstalks and hay bales.
- Use a battery-operated candle in your jack-o-lantern.
- Ensure your home’s exits remain visible and are clear of any obstruction by Halloween decorations.
- Ensure that any weapons included as part of a costume are easily identified as fake.
- If your child is wearing a mask, ensure that it does not block their vision or limit sightlines.
- Teach children to stop, drop, and roll if their costume catches fire.
- Test all smoke alarms in your home to ensure that they are functioning properly.
- Parents and guardians should check all candy before it is consumed by children. Any candy wrappers that have been damaged or tampered with should be discarded.
This year, Halloween celebrations also coincide with Diwali – the Hindu festival of lights – occurring until November 3rd. As these festivities are often celebrated with fireworks in some parts of the world, the KFD would like to remind residents that firecrackers and all other unauthorized recreational use of fireworks is not allowed within the City of Kelowna.
“There are very few urban centers in BC that still allow permits for recreational fireworks,” said Paul Johnson, Fire Prevention Officer with KFD. “Not only is the unauthorized use of fireworks a danger to inexperienced operators and those observing, but it also poses a significant fire risk to surrounding trees, grasses, and dry areas.”
The Fire and Life Safety Bylaw prohibits the sale, possession, and discharge of fireworks and firecrackers within the City’s borders. Fireworks may only be used by a licensed operator who has undergone a strict permitting process that is officially vetted through Kelowna’s fire department. The Fire Department, RCMP or a Bylaw Officer could issue bylaw tickets for setting off fireworks. To date, no one has submitted a fireworks permit application, and no permits have been issued for the month of October.
The firework permit process ensures that only fireworks operators who are licensed by the Explosives Regulatory Division of Natural Resources Canada can set off fireworks. The process also ensures that ample insurance is provided. Persons caught setting off fireworks within City limits may be subject to a minimum fine of $250 issued as a bylaw offence notice by the KFD.