Phoenix presents 'Celebrate Safely' campaign and expanded inspections to curb illegal fireworks and celebratory gunfire

City officials updated the Public Safety & Justice Subcommittee on an interdepartmental fireworks safety task force that has expanded inspections, enforcement and bilingual public education to reduce illegal aerial fireworks and celebratory gunfire.

Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and Assistant Fire Chief Justin Alexander said the task force — which pulls staff from police, fire, prosecutor’s office, neighborhood services, parks and other departments — was formed after council offices reported rising complaints around July 4 and New Year’s. Fire Department inspections of permitted and potential fireworks sales sites rose; staff reported more than 600 inspections in the last season and the introduction of post‑season and unannounced "pop‑in" checks to identify stores selling fireworks outside state‑permitted dates.

Assistant Fire Marshal Eric Williams said in some cases stores received product meant for neighboring states and that the department worked with national distributors and retailers to remove non‑permissible items from the sales floor rather than confiscate them on first offense. He told the subcommittee that roughly "6 to a dozen" retail locations had non‑permissible items last year and that the city will move to confiscation and citations if the problem recurs. Williams said enforcement outcomes range from civil citations to possible criminal prosecution (class 1 misdemeanor) with fines cited in the presentation ($500–$2,500) and up to six months’ imprisonment if criminally charged; he emphasized the difficulty of assigning individual responsibility in some corporate distribution scenarios.

Deputy Communications Director Ashley Patton described the "Celebrate Safely" campaign: a bilingual, multi‑platform effort that used billboards, neighborhood outreach, partner events and an Ask‑Me‑Anything on Reddit to explain which fireworks are legal (ground‑based only), how to dispose of used fireworks safely, and where to attend professional displays. Patton said the campaign reached residents with thousands of web page views, hundreds of social posts and substantial impressions; city staff used Zen City analytics to gauge community response and reported that residents welcomed education but still had concerns about enforcement and neighborhood safety.

Phoenix Police representatives described operational steps to identify fireworks calls and celebratory‑gunfire incidents. The police created a dedicated fireworks radio code to improve tracking, assigned dedicated staffing around holidays, and said mandatory staffing was in place for New Year’s Eve. The department reported two arrests for celebratory gunfire during the New Year’s period and said prosecutions and enforcement are proceeding under Shannon’s law for dangerous celebratory gunfire.

Councilmembers pressed presenters on enforcement mechanics and deterrence. Councilman Waring asked about prosecution numbers and expressed skepticism that education alone reaches people who shoot guns or set aerial fireworks off in neighborhoods; he pushed for stiffer penalties and more visible enforcement. Councilwoman O’Brien asked for detail on retail tracking and repeat offender handling; presenters said they notify corporate distributors, track retailers and will escalate to confiscation and citation for repeat violations.

Officials said the task force will continue meeting, pursue regional partnerships (including MAG on air‑quality impacts), refine enforcement approaches consistent with state preemption, and bring potential code amendments to council briefings to strengthen local enforcement tools.

The subcommittee did not take a formal legislative vote on changes during this briefing; presenters committed to return with proposed code changes and additional data.