Mayor Eric Garcetti, LAFD offer safety tips for Halloween

TOLUCA LAKE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles city officials highlighted the risks for children as the Halloween weekend approaches and offered tips on keeping the little ghosts and goblins safe.

Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke at a Toluca Lake pumpkin patch Tuesday morning. He kept the discussion light-hearted at times on an otherwise serious topic.

"Whether you're driving a car or whether you're rushing off to your Halloween party and don't see kids that are there, it's a night that you have to be extra, extra careful," he said.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas told attendees that authorities anticipate more parties and activities than normal because the holiday lands on a Saturday rather than a weekday.

On any given year, Halloween is the busiest day of the year for L.A. firefighters to respond to calls. Many of those calls involve children being hit by cars.

"Responding to kids who are hit by a cars in a Halloween costume on Halloween night - it doesn't get any more tragic than that," Terrazas said.

Terrazas offered additional safety tips for parents:

• Children should never trick-or-treat alone.
• Make sure children have flashlights and cellphones when trick-or-treating at night.
• Trick-or-treaters should only walk on sidewalks.
• Make sure costumes do not impede their vision.