Barney: Know fireworks laws before the festivities begin

"All fireworks that go into the air are illegal, unless part of a professional display. Not only do those devices pose hazardous for the individuals lighting them, they can start fires on your property or a neighbor’s, cause distress for our veterans and startle the four-legged members of our community."”

Mayor Gail Barney, Town of Queen Creek

As 2019 comes to a close, it is a fantastic time to reflect on Queen Creek’s 30th Anniversary. The foundation of this community continues to be the people, which is one of the reasons we launched the QC Neighborly campaign this past September. It serves as an opportunity to highlight how we look out for one another here in Queen Creek.

Another foundation of this community is the agriculture heritage. My family came to Queen Creek as farmers, and I continued that tradition for 70 years. As the town grows, we are fortunate to have pieces of our history woven throughout Queen Creek, including a variety of animals.

You may have seen our recent educational video featured on social media highlighting tips for safely driving around animals. Seeing equestrians along our wash trails, goats in their pens, and llamas and mini horses grazing in their fields are all unique gems of our community.

Tonight is a night for celebrating. I encourage all of our residents to know the fireworks laws before the festivities begin. All fireworks that go into the air are illegal, unless part of a professional display. Not only do those devices pose hazardous for the individuals lighting them, they can start fires on your property or a neighbor’s, cause distress for our veterans and startle the four-legged members of our community.

If you are going to celebrate with legal consumer fireworks, remember that they can only be discharged on private property. Please be sure you dispose of them properly to avoid a trash fire, our most common fireworks related call for QCFMD, and always ensure adult supervision.

I encourage you to be QC Neighborly tonight and into 2020. Let’s continue to be a community that thinks about our neighbors and reflect on the qualities that make Queen Creek such a fantastic place to live, play and learn.

Thank you for making 2019 a wonderful year. Happy New Year!

Mayor Gail Barney
Town of Queen Creek

For more information about the legal and safe use of fireworks, go to QueenCreek.org/Fireworks.