Halloween warning about lacerations, burns and spark-damaged eyes

Aerosol cans becoming "miniature bombs", loose-fitting flammable clothing worn by children and powerful fireworks causing serious injuries were just some of the issues highlighted by the Dublin Fire Brigade at an awareness event held in Dublin on Monday morning.

Although fire-tenders are at increasing risk of coming under attack from stone-wielding, bonfire-building youths in the run-up to Halloween with a spike in the number of call-outs likely as the end of the month approaches, firefighters and senior officers played down the stresses associated with an increased workload.

"It is not something we would dread because it is part and parcel of what we do" acting Chief Fire Officer Dennis Keeley told The Irish Times. "It is not just one night, however, and we see a significant increase in the number of call-outs for a week or longer in the run-up to Halloween."

He stressed that the fire brigade was “not in the business of ruining people’s fun” and it only intervenes when public safety is compromised. “If a bonfire is too big or too close to buildings or overhead cables then we have to take action as our main priority is keeping people safe.”

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Loose-fitting and flammable

The types of injuries his units are likely to see are lacerations, burns and damaged eyes from sparks. He highlighted the dangers of young children wearing loose-fitting flammable clothes getting too close to candle-lit pumpkins.

He commended Dublin City Council for being very proactive in tackling the stockpiling of bonfire material across the city in recent weeks and said there was an increasing use of drones and social media to alert the authorities to flashpoints and potentially dangerous fires around the city.

Darren O'Connor of the Tara Street Fire Brigade presided over a demonstration of some of the dangers ,and used a mini-bonfire and mannequin to illustrate the damage Halloween can do. He said the thing that crews dread the most are treating children with burns. "That is the one thing we don't want to see. One of the things we want to highlight is the danger of aerosol cans – one that is thrown into a bonfire can turn into a miniature bomb very quickly."