Firefighter Vista S. Lowe
Posted by: 
hoteltwo
N 30° 24.552 W 087° 12.560
16R E 479893 N 3364148
Located at the southeast corner of Seville Square park, this marker tells the sad story of a fireman killed and the changes made to fire department policy because of it.
Waymark Code: WMKB60
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 03/13/2014
Views: 15
Marker Text:
At this site on September 30, 1962, Firefighter Vista Spencer Lowe, age 23, died in the line of duty while responding to a house fire at 409 East Zarragossa Street. Upon arrival at the scene, Firefighter Lowe stepped from the rear tailboard of the pumper he was riding (Engine 5, a 1957, 1,000-gallon Seagrave Pumper Truck), tripped and fell to the ground. Unaware of Lowe’s location, the pumper’s driver began backing his truck, trapping Lowe under the truck and crushing him. Lowe was the third firefighter with the Pensacola Fire Department (PFD) and the 33rd Florida firefighter to lose his life in the line of duty. Lowe’s death caused the PFD to change its rules and regulations governing standard operating procedures and training methods, requiring that no fire apparatus be backed up at any time without a department member directing traffic. As a result of these changes, no firefighter with the PFD has since died in the manner in which Firefighter Lowe lost his life in 1962.
Marker Number: F-733
Date: 2012
County: Escambia
Marker Type: City
Sponsored or placed by: Sons Matthew D. and Mark D. Lowe and the Florida Department of State.
Website: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark.
Please post a photo at the marker location.