State Fire Marshal Stresses Haunted House Safety

(Undated) – This is the season for haunted houses and officials statewide are stressing safety. Illinois State Fire Marshal, James Rivera, says haunted houses can pose a risk for fires and fire injuries if codes aren’t followed. He says the state wants visitors to haunted houses to have a spooky time, but don’t want that to turn into a scary situation due to a fire that can be prevented by venues taking proper fire safety mitigation measures. Most haunted houses in Illinois are required to have smoke detectors and be protected by automatic sprinkler systems. State law also requires criminal background checks and sex offender registry checks for all amusement workers. Amusement workers are also subjected to random drug testing.