Taking Halloween precautions

With Halloween just three days away, many residents are preparing for the holiday by buying costumes, decorations and bags of candy.

And other residents are thinking about being safe on Halloween.

Glendale resident Arlet Malekian is throwing a birthday bash for her 8-year-old daughter Talia instead of taking her trick-or-treating because she said it is safer.

“All of her friends are going to celebrate her birthday at our house for Halloween,” she said.

Malekian believes hosting the Halloween party at her home will give her daughter and friends the opportunity to celebrate two special occasions without running the risk of getting hurt on the streets.

In the past, she has ensured that her daughter and friends are accompanied by adults while trick-or-treating in their neighborhood. Her daughter always carries a flashlight when she trick-or-treats, she said.

“We only trick-or-treat in our neighborhood,” Malekian said. “Every child has two adults with them.”

Parents should make sure their children’s costumes are bright and reflective for night, said Tanya Gregorian, Glendale Fire Department’s public education coordinator.

“Every year, there is a risk with kids getting injured while trick-or-treating,” she said.

To reduce injury to children, Gregorian advises parents make sure their children’s costumes are not long so they don’t trip and fall. The costumes should also be fire-resistant, she said.

Children should always be escorted by an adult, Gregorian said. But parents shouldn’t be driving and following their children as they trick-or-treat because a collision might occur, she said.

Two traffic collisions were reported last Halloween in Glendale, Gregorian said.

But more than 1,000 traffic collisions occur each year in Glendale, she said. And about 180 of the collisions involve a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle, Gregorian said.

The large number of pedestrian-related collisions, she said, demonstrates that parents and children should be alert when walking through neighborhoods during Halloween.

“Let’s keep it a safe night and make sure Glendale is safe,” Gregorian said.

Glendale resident Melina Oganesyan tries to be safe every Halloween by trick-or-treating in a large group of 10 people. She trick-or-treats in Glendale only.

“I usually stay in the area because I am familiar with it,” she said.

But safety may not be on everyone’s mind this Halloween.

Halloween Express employee Targei Hass has had only one request from customers about glow sticks, which shine a bright light that allows children or teens to see where they are going and be seen by others.

Hass takes his 10-year-old sister trick-or-treating for Halloween.

He believes supervising younger children on Halloween is key to ensuring their safety.

“You just got to be there,” Hass said. “They have to keep their eyes open.”