Vista’s Bell Has a Message. It Comes in Fives. |
The city’s Sept. 11 ceremony will use an old firefighter signal to carry 25 years of memory. |
Some ceremonies need a long speech.
This one has 20 bell strikes.
Vista will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on Friday, Sept. 11, at 9 a.m.
The remembrance ceremony will take place in the Vista Civic Center parking lot at 200 Civic Center Drive, near Civic Center and Alta Vista drives.
The program will include the Tolling of the Bell, the ringing of the Four Fives and the ceremonial placement of a memorial wreath.
Vista City Council, Vista Fire Rescue and the Vista Sheriff’s Station are scheduled to participate.
The community is invited.
But the moment most likely to follow people home may require no microphone.
Five Strikes. Pause. Repeat.
The Four Fives is an old fire-service signal used to announce that a firefighter had died in the line of duty.
The pattern is precise.
Five bell strikes.
A pause.
Five more.
That sequence continues until four groups—20 strikes altogether—have sounded.
The tradition dates to the late 1800s, when fire headquarters used bell signals to transmit news of a firefighter’s death.
It was not created for Sept. 11. But on this anniversary, its meaning carries particular weight.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum reports that the attacks killed 441 first responders—the greatest loss of emergency responders in a single day in American history.
Overall, 2,977 people were killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, near Shanksville.
Twenty-five years later, the Four Fives still carries its original message.
A life was lost.
The service is remembered.
Memory Is Changing Hands
A quarter-century separates experience from history.
For Vista residents who remember Sept. 11, the anniversary can bring back personal memories of where they were when the attacks happened.
Younger residents received the story differently—through classrooms, family conversations and recorded footage.
Today’s traditional K–12 students were born after the attacks.
That gives Vista’s ceremony two jobs.
Remember those who were lost.
Carry their stories forward to people who never saw that morning unfold.
The wreath provides a visible tribute. The participation of Vista Fire Rescue and the Sheriff’s Station connects the first responders of 2001 with local emergency personnel answering calls today.
Then comes the bell.
No applause requested.
No explanation needed.
Sometimes four groups of five say enough.
Before You Go
The city has not published an ending time, speaker list, seating plan or bad-weather alternative.
It also has not announced whether the ceremony will be livestreamed.
The city calendar separately lists the Civic Center as closed on Sept. 11. The outdoor ceremony remains scheduled, but the city has not clarified whether the building, restrooms or regular public services will be available.
No ticket, admission price or advance registration is listed.
The ceremony begins at 9 a.m.
Then Vista will stop talking—and listen.
Questions You May Have About the 9/11 Ceremony:
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What is the Four Fives? |
10 Comments
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The Four Fives was new to me. Glad I learned something today. The small details matter most at memorials.
I remember watching the news with my parents on 9/11. I hope teenagers today get how serious it was. Ceremonies like this really help.
It’s important the local first responders are a part of this. They do so much every day, not just on big anniversaries.
Emily ParkAbsolutely agree. The connection between past heroes and today’s teams is what makes the ceremony feel personal around here.
I’d like to see the ceremony streamed for those of us who can’t attend in person. Not everyone is able to make it to the Civic Center.
David L. JensenI hope they consider livestreaming too. It would help folks with mobility issues or who live farther out still be part of it.
the bell strikes are always so powerful. You can hear a pin drop when it happens. Hope the weather holds so we can all be there together.
Wish they’d post more details about parking or if there are chairs. My dad would like to go but it’s tough for him to stand for long.
Didn’t realize kids today have to learn about 9/11 from videos in school. Makes me feel old, but glad the city’s trying to keep the story alive.
Really touching that they still use the old bell tradition. My uncle was a firefighter, and these ceremonies always get me. Thank you Vista for remembering.