SANDY, Utah — Thursday is the day that firework stands across the state will start selling for the July 4th and 24th holidays.
At the TNT warehouse in Sandy these holidays are basically their version of the Superbowl, with boxes in a giant warehouse stacked up filled with fireworks preparing to be sold.
This year is stricter than others have been in the past, with more and more cities continuing to put restrictions in place due to drought conditions.
“Definitely a heightened year where we need to be more conscious and we need to be more thoughtful,” said Thaaron Watson, a Fireworks Professional with around 40 years experience.
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For him it is all about safety and education for the public that are coming in to buy things off of his shelves.
“It’s not the fireworks… or the supplier that’s causing the issues” Watson says but “it's how fireworks are used.”
Watson knows the danger of fireworks, but also knows that when done safely, they can be an incredible experience, especially for kids.
“Parents can’t afford to take their kids to Disneyland or Florida” he said. “They can still spend a lot less and set up a show their kids will never forget.”
His concern is that there are calls for an outright ban, and some are even going as far as blaming stands for selling fireworks for any problem that might arise with dry conditions and red flag warnings.
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“I don’t see a reason to take away the celebration… I see a reason to educate… There is a reason to be responsible.” he said. “There’s a lot of laws out there already… we have a lot of laws… lets just follow the laws."
The other concern is the large amount of money that firework stands can raise. Many fireworks stands are run by nonprofit organizations that raise money for churches or charities.
Watson sayd he believes there could be potential problems with people doing fireworks in the right place, since there are restrictions, he worries people will take fireworks to the outskirts of the city, where there's more brush and a higher risk for fires.
Above all Watson said that firework stands and the professionals behind them, are by far the ones hoping to advocate for safety the most.
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“I think that with education and people seeking help better how to use fireworks it will make for a much better safer 4th of july” Watson said.
Watson and others are warning to lay bricks down to make a flat stable surface for any aerial fireworks, keep a water source very close by in case of anything catching on fire, and finally make sure there is adult supervision.
The number one cause of injury for fireworks in the United States are children that are using sparklers that can reach several hundred degrees in temperature.
