As fall approaches, some park districts promote haunted houses. The following checklist has been developed to help you have a safe and enjoyable Halloween.

PLANNING

• Develop an emergency response plan.
• Establish designated duties.
• Establish designated emergency words or signals (use to alert other volunteers in order to prevent panic). For example, “challenge one” means smoke or fire, “challenge two” means a person fell or fainted.
• Install extinguishers (number and location depends on combustible load, amount of electrical equipment, automatic sprinklers, etc.) Work with the fire department, building inspector, or fire marshal.
• Post maximum number of occupants.
• Install emergency lighting (if power fails, wall-mounted battery lights or backup generators are most common).
• Post signs at the entrance such as: Warnings (not recommended for persons with the following conditions: pregnancy, heart problems of any kind, fainting spells, high blood pressure, etc.), minimum age and or height requirements (depending on the type of obstacles), disclaimers (not responsible for accidents, injuries, etc.), and rules (no running, pushing, line cutting, no food, beverages, candy, gum or tobacco chewing — as they could become a choking hazard, no one allowed under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs).

TRAINING & ORIENTATION

• Train personnel in their designated duties and the emergency response plan.
• Review and hold practice drills of designated duties and the emergency response plan.
• Provide working flashlights.
• Train members in designated emergency words.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

• The local fire department, fire marshal, or building inspector must pre-approve the overall layout. They should inspect the haunted house prior to opening.
• Hold training sessions with all personnel and work with emergency responders.
• Consider hiring security or employing the local police for crowd control.
• Door attendants should only allow a certain number of guests access at a time. Some controls should be in place to monitor the number of exiting guests so occupancy is known.
• Separate rowdy, large groups at the front door if possible.
• Do not allow any food, beverages, candy, weapons, fireworks or alcohol.
• Provide adequate lighting, especially near trip and fall hazards (stairs, smoke-filled areas, etc.).
• Provide adequate ventilation, especially if using special effects such as smoke.

FIRE PREVENTION

• Install fire detectors (fixed temperature and infrared types of detectors will not be activated by fake smoke or fog).
• Have a fire exit plan for each room.
• Assign duties for each cast member such as:
• Turning on lights
• Opening the exit doors
• Communicating with other rooms
• Turning off equipment
• Responding with extinguishers.

ELECTRICAL HAZARDS

• Do not use lightweight extension cords for anything more than one item such as a radio, one string of lights, etc. Identify the maximum wattage on the cord.
• Do not use any damaged or repaired electrical cords.
• Have custom wiring inspected by a licensed electrician.
• Do not overload circuits by using 3 way adapters.
• Check fuses and breakers for proper amperage.
• Visually check all conduits for damage.
• Do not use any plug-ins or cords that exhibit signs of overheating.
• Do not use circuits where the fuse or breaker has been tampered with or pennies have been used.
• Make sure all extension cords will not be pinched or damaged by moving doors, equipment, or people.
• Do not use any portable, electrical heaters or other temporary heaters of any kind.