Trick Is to Treat Halloween With Caution : Holiday: Safety measures include buying fire-resistant costumes, carefully checking candy and keeping pets indoors.

As a child growing up in a quiet Mission Viejo suburb, Tiffany Kretzschmar always felt safe cruising the neighborhood for treats on Halloween. But now that her 2 1/2-year-old son, Zachary, is a trick-or-treater, she is taking precautions.

“Things have changed, and you have to look out for your kids,” said Kretzschmar, 28, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Fire Authority. “Just last year, I heard of a little boy in my neighborhood who got a candy bar with a razor blade hidden in it. I was shocked, but it motivated me to be safe.”

Kretzschmar is considering taking her son’s booty this year to a local hospital to be X-rayed. But health experts warn that X-rays only pick up metal and cannot detect drugs or other toxic substances. So parents must carefully check candy themselves to make sure no packages have been tampered with and that small children don’t try to eat anything they might choke on.

With Halloween falling just two days after clocks are switched back to standard time, fire officials also warn that children will be making their rounds just as commuters head home and darkness falls.

Kretzschmar, for instance, is making sure that when her son dresses as Capt. John Smith, the Jamestown colonist, his costume is short enough to prevent him from tripping and bright enough for motorists to see. Reflective duct tape can be applied to costumes so children can be easily spotted.

Other safety tips include making sure that small children are accompanied by an adult and that at least one person in every group carries a flashlight.

Children should be told to walk, not run, from house to house to avoid being hurt by hard-to-see objects in yards and lawns. They should be cautioned to knock only on doors where residents have the welcome sign of outdoor lights. Children should not enter homes or apartments unless an adult goes with them.

When buying a costume, parents should look for masks, wigs and beards that are made of fire-resistant material. Masks and hoods should be loose-fitting, with eyeholes large enough to allow unobstructed vision.

Those who make their costumes should remember that tightly woven, heavy and smooth fabrics are more flame-retardant. Flimsy outfits with billowing skirts and baggy sleeves should be avoided if there is any risk of coming into contact with fire sources such as lit jack-o-lanterns. Accessories such as swords, knives, wands and other carried items should be made of soft or flexible materials.

For children with allergies to certain materials, such as latex, extra care must be taken in choosing garb. Likewise, parents of trick-or-treaters with diabetes or other health concerns may have to make special plans such as organizing a Halloween event that focuses on games and prizes instead of candy.

“You really need to plan what you’re going to do ahead of time if you want to be safe,” said Kathleen O’Brien, a spokeswoman for Martin Luther Hospital in Anaheim. People staying home to dole out goodies should remove anything lying on steps, lawns and porches that could be an obstacle for children.

Humane Society officials also have advice for pet owners: Keep animals inside. Cats, especially black ones, are sometimes snatched on Halloween, and dogs left outside might bite costume-clad children.

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Safe Treats

These hospitals are X-raying candy on both Halloween and the day after:

* Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center: 27700 Medical Center Road, Mission Viejo, (714) 582-2300

* Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center: 12601 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, (714) 741-2776