Halloween is traditionally associated with all things frightful, but local councillors are hoping that the hell-raising antics of last year in Carlow town don’t re-occur this weekend.
Unfortunately, although this is a celebratory time, particularly for children, it is also a time when children can be badly injured by fireworks and bonfires.
Carlow councillor Alan Price has expressed concern that some local bonfires will pose serious environmental and health risks in Carlow.
“Residents on the edge of a village in the south Carlow area, are concerned about what appears to be the stock-piling of tyres on a patch of disused land. The incident has been reported to Carlow County Council,” he said.
Cllr Price added, “Halloween is a family time and bonfires have always been a traditional part of the festivities. However, many of these fires are unsupervised and the materials that are being burnt is often rubbish that people do not wish to dispose of properly. Of particular concern is the burning of tyres. When burnt, these produce a dense black smoke containing different cancer-causing chemicals such as benzene and various dioxins.”
Meanwhile, Cllr Michael Abbey warned the local authorities to keep an eye out for potential sparks of anti-social behaviour ahead of this Halloween, particularly in areas where material is being stockpiled for bonfires.
"This Halloween night, we need to be particularly vigilant in identifying areas where there is a huge amount of material being stockpiled with a view to having bonfires," he told council officials.
"What we don't want to see is a repetition of what happened last year."
Cllr Price added, “the damage that smoke from burning tyres does to health, often does not come to light until people have lung problems many years later. These chemicals are also taken up by plants and water courses resulting in serious damage to the local environment. Burns cased by rubber and plastic can be particularly dangerous as the burning material sticks to your skin. The safest and least environmentally damaging material to burn in bonfires is wood,” he advised.
However, if bonfires must be a part of Halloween festivities, parents should be aware of their children’s whereabouts and be secure in the knowledge that they are safe. Bonfires need constant adult supervision.
Last year, gardai and emergency services became embroiled in a stand-off with a gang of youths who were celebrating Halloween with a bonfire in a town estate, using trees from the estate as fuel for the fire.
As the situation escalated, vehicles were reportedly vandalised, including the windscreen of a garda car which was smashed, and the youths blocked off the estate with pallets.
Local representatives are concerned about any possible repeat of those scenes.
“Consideration must also be given to the emergency services – the fire and ambulance services have a difficult time dealing with the consequences resulting from dangerous fires,” concluded Cllr Price.
Meanwhile, the HSE is calling on parents and young people to be extra vigilant in relation to safety during the Halloween period. Fireworks are effectively illegal in Ireland (with the exception of licensed displays ); most of the illegal fireworks and bangers on sale in markets and from street traders throughout the country are sub-standard and are liable to cause serious injury.
Halloween is the busiest time of the year for the fire services and it is extremely hectic for ambulance and hospital services also.
Parents are advised to ensure that their children are accompanied whilst visiting houses to seek Halloween treats. It is particularly important that children's fancy-dress outfits do not contribute to accidents. Long outfits can sometimes cause children to trip and fall. Masks should not obscure vision, reduce hearing or interfere with normal breathing.
