Dr. Adel said, "Parents can ensure that Halloween is a safe event by observing a few basic guidelines. For instance, children should always go trick-or-treating in groups and an adult should accompany smaller children. Our youngsters really enjoy Halloween and it's up to us to do all that we can to safeguard their fun."

The Westchester County Department of Health offers the following tips for safe trick-or-treating:

. Put strips of reflective tape on the outside of costumes or use light or     bright colored outerwear.

. Costumes should be made from fireproof materials.

. Eye holes in face masks should be big enough for a child to see out of     in all directions.

. Try using face paint on your child instead of a mask.

. Someone in the group should carry a flashlight.

. Trick-or-treaters should stay within their own neighborhoods.

. Children should trick-or-treat only to houses with the outside lights on     and to apartment buildingsthat are brightly lit.

. You should set a time for your children to return home.

. Children should not go inside the homes or apartments of strangers.

. Encourage your children to wait until they return home before eating      any candy.

. Carefully examine all candy and throw out any unwrapped candy or       other foods (even fresh fruit or homemade foods).

. The only candy or snacks that should be kept are those which have been commercially packaged and those which have not been opened in any way.