Team MacDill makes Operation Pumpkin safe for all

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jenay Randolph
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  This Halloween, children and parents in their best costumes will be going from house to house saying “Trick-or-treat” to receive loads of candy for Operation Pumpkin, Oct. 31, 2016, from 6-8 p.m., at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

Annually, MacDill offers trick-or-treating on base for the members of Team MacDill. Halloween is a fun tradition, but safety must remain MacDill’s top priority.

To continue the fun tradition, the 6th Air Mobility Wing safety office and the 6th Security Forces Squadron have come together to bring MacDill an amazing trick-or-treat event with safety in the fore front on this extraordinary night.

“The goal is to ensure that the families on MacDill enjoy a safe and fun-filled night this Halloween,” said Tech Sgt. Robert Jeffries, safety representative assigned to the 6th AMW safety office. “The main concerns are safe driving and safe costumes.”

For drivers, extreme caution is recommended while drive during the peak hours of 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. Turning on headlights a little earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances is also recommended for Halloween.

When designing or buying costumes for kids, parents should strive to make them as visible as possible. Some things that will help is having reflective material, colored lights, using face painting instead of masks, and allowing kids to carry glow sticks or flash lights. Also, make sure that costumes fit and are not oversized to prevent tripping and falling hazards.

While Safety provides tips, members of the 6th SFS will be working during Operation Pumpkin. Volunteers will ensure safe travels by providing crosswalk guards, including safety patrolmen for base housing. For the first time, there will be a lost and found for parents and children at the Harbor Bay Housing Office.

“Members from the 6th SFS contribute volunteers every year for crosswalk guards and base housing safety patrol,” said Tech. Sgt. Trevor Paradise, NCO in charge of flight operations assigned to the 6th SFS. “However, this year, we are going to have a lost and found for parents who lose sight of their children or vice versa. Hopefully, there won’t be much use for it, but we pride ourselves on being prepared for everything and making sure that everyone is secure during this event.”

Team MacDill strives to make Halloween and Operation Pumpkin a successful, safe and enjoyable event.

“Operation Pumpkin is for the children, and we are doing everything we can to make this event enjoyable for the children,” said Paradise.