Halloween Safety and Icy Weather Precautions
Inside Salisbury: Stop, Drop and Roll Advice
Safety first for Halloween
by Annette J Beveridge
A WARNING about safety over the Halloween period has been issued by Dorset & Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service.
With the increasing ease of buying fancy-dress costumes from overseas, the service is advising people to buy from a reputable retailer, and to check labels to ensure products have a CE Mark. This means the costume complies with EN71-2 meeting the European flammability resistant requirement for toys.
Other safety tips include:
Check for swing labels indicating the costume has undergone BRC’s additional tests. See the statement, ‘garment has undergone additional safety testing for flammability” which is reassurance the costume is safer than legally required under EN71-2.’
When dressing for Halloween parties, layer clothes beneath the costume as this protects skin in case of a fire incident.
Decorative lights are common at this time of year so be sure to switch these lights off at night and extinguish any candles before going to bed.
Replace real candles in pumpkins with battery powered candles as these are much safer.
Children should avoid any ignition sources - for example, sparklers burn at up to 2,000 °C and be taught to ‘stop, drop and roll’ if their clothing catches alight. In a worst case scenario, cool burns with large amounts of water and seek urgent medical help.
For more information about the Fireworks Code, go to: dwfire.org.uk/fireworks
Preparing for the icy weather
MORE THAN 5,000 tonnes of salt was distributed across the county last year with more than 34,000 miles of roads treated.
Wiltshire Council has confirmed that the THAW Enforcement team will be out this winter to make sure roads are safe across the county.
Salting takes place as road temperatures near freezing and is applied on roads after the evening peak travel and before early morning traffic gets underway.
Cabinet Member for Highways and Street Scene, Councillor Nick Holder, said: “We have a fleet of 24 gritters on standby, strategically placed in depots around Wiltshire – ready to take action.
“When the weather drops below zero, we focus on A and B roads as these are primary routes. However, we want to remind residents to not assume that a road has been gritted, and to always drive to the conditions as some roads are only treated during prolonged periods of cold weather.”
Wiltshire Council has confirmed there is 12,000 tonnes of salt in stock located across six storage sites. Weather stations monitor the weather around the clock and this provides real-time information to help engineers produce accurate forecasts and to ensure gritters are deployed at the right time.
Note: Pavements, cycle routes, and cycleways are only treated in times of persistent ice or snow. and the focus is on footways with high pedestrian usage. Residents and travelling public can access salt bins located throughout the county which can be used on footpaths and public roads.
Cllr Holder added: “A commitment in our Business Plan is to have well-connected communities and preparing for the colder months is a part of this, as we want to keep everything running smoothly while prioritising safety.
“I’d like to thank our dedicated highways team who treat our roads in all-weather throughout the winter to keep our residents and road users safe.”