Wednesday is Halloween, and there will be hundreds of little, or not so little, trick-or-treaters on the streets ringing doorbells and asking for candy.

Captain Ron Lubke with the Missoula Rural Fire District has some common sense safety tips for parents, such as making sure that a child’s vision is not impaired by their costume, using the buddy system and waiting till they get home and letting their parents make sure that the treats are safe.

But, more importantly, Lubke has some serious tips that concern fires and burn injuries.

“Probably one of the big things is costumes,” began Lubke. “Every year there are a number of fires that are reported along with burn injuries from costumes catching fire. We encourage folks that if they’re buying a commercial costume that it’s fire resistant, and that it’s rated for fire safety.”

Lubke also commented on the danger of using candles as part of Halloween decorations.

“There are lots of candles around on Halloween and jack-o-lanterns and things,” he said. “We want parents to stay away from synthetic fabrics and instead, look for natural fabrics such as wool and things like that won’t burn easily. Speaking of candles, a lot of folks use candles in their jack-o-lanterns, and so we encourage them to look into battery-operated candles or glow sticks or some other sort of battery-powered light, instead of an actual burning candle.”

Lubke also asks homeowners to keep dried materials such as corn stalks or straw bales away from any fire source including light bulbs and heaters.

Missoula Rural Fire hopes the scariest thing you encounter on Halloween is a tummy ache after eating all that candy.