Rim Country and fireworks just don't mix

Mogollon Connection Editorial
By Matt Brabb
Editor

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time. Lots of things do that aren’t.

When House Bill 2246 was signed into law earlier this year, making “permissible consumer fireworks” legal for Arizonans for the first time, legislators probably weren’t thinking of the impact it would have on communities like ours in Rim Country.

These are communities that for the most part are surrounded by national forests. We have enough trouble getting folks to completely extinguish campfires, let alone allowing for the use of spark-emitting devices for their entertainment.

Fortunately, the law won’t go into effect until Dec. 1.

So we applaud members of the Payson Town Council for starting the process of restricting the use of fireworks within town boundaries. HB2246 makes provisions for towns and cities to ban them within their jurisdiction if they so choose.

It’s worth noting that using or possessing fireworks of any kind is illegal in all national forests throughout the year due to the fire danger, but if people are able to buy them in town, it’s probably only a matter of time before they use them in the forest.

Unfortunately, though towns like Payson are allowed to ban the use of fireworks, they can not stop their sale.

We don’t think we could put it any better than Payson Councilor Su Connell did when she made the following statement:

“I am all for controlled, directed and over the lake Fourth of July fireworks. With the professional training of our Town of Payson fire personnel working with fireworks professionals, and other local enforcement persons, I am comfortable with that approach. Other types of fireworks, sparklers, and various explosive devices I find very dangerous and are of great concern to me. I know of instances where children have been severely burned, and in one case the loss of an eye occurred. Any type of ‘hot’ device needs to be eliminated from our young people’s hands, and also kept away from our forest and beautiful mountainous terrain.”

We spoke with Gila County Supervisor Tommie Martin, who said that the Gila County Board would also be looking at the matter before the end of the year.

We hope so, because beginning in December, on private property in places like Pine/Strawberry, Mesa del Caballo, Christopher Creek, and Tonto Village, fireworks including ground and hand-held sparklers, cone fountains, ground spinners, flitter sparklers, and toy smoke devices will be legal.