CHANDLER, AZ — If you celebrate the July 4th holiday by lighting fireworks, make sure to keep safety top of mind.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says there were over 10,000 trips to the emergency room last year in connection to fireworks. Experts recommend keeping a bucket of water or a hose handy in case of fire, lighting fireworks one at a time, moving back quickly, and never trying to re-light or pick up fireworks that haven’t fully ignited.
“The biggest question we get is, 'what do you got that shoots up in the air?' And we're like, 'I’m sorry, we don't have anything like that because it's against the law in the state of Arizona,'” said Raymon Ayon at the Discount Fireworks Superstore near Alma School Road and Chandler Boulevard. “We get the ones that are like, 'hey do you know if we can pop them in our city?' We’ll help them look it up and be like, 'no, you can't pop this in your city.'”
To see what is allowed in the city of Phoenix, click here.
Ayon isn't only helping his customers stay safe and have fun within the law — his shop stands for something more.
He says the proceeds from his shop go to Victory Men’s Home through his church, Victory Outreach. He says they help turn lives around for those suffering from addiction. Some of the men who live at the home also work at the fireworks stand and gain valuable job skills.
“I’m a product of the home as well,” said Ayon, who now serves as the home’s director. “I was out there lost and bounded, addicted to the things of the world.”
“It’s sad when they go but you know you’ve done something right, you know, so they can go out there and be that product member of society,” Ayon said about the men at the home.
Ayon says the stand is open this July 4th and the day after.
