Sunday, August 2 | 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Jody Meimanl, Executive Director and Justin Bagby, CMCP, Telecommunications Supervisor
Justin Bagby, CMCP, Telecommunications Supervisor
Louisville Metro Emergency Services / MetroSafe 911
Louisville’s Emergency Management and 911 Director Jodi Meiman and Metrosafe shift supervisor Justin Bagby shared a more in-depth look at the UPS 2975 plane crash that occurred in Louisville on November 4, 2025. The aircraft came to rest in an auto parts recycling yard where there was approximately 350,000 gallons of waste oil. The UPS plane was going to Honolulu from Louisville and had approximately 36,000 gallons of jet fuel on board. There were 15 fatalities, 3 crew members and 12 people on the ground. Only 2 people were transported by EMS that day.
The first report of the incident was from an arson investigator on the radio reporting an explosion. There were then 40 9-1-1 calls answered in the first minute, with 86 abandoned calls (all of which were eventually called back). They processed 325 calls in the first 10 minutes, and 837 calls in the first hour were processed. The incident occurred close to shift change, and there were 15 dispatchers, 12 call-takers and 2 supervisors on duty. They were able to add 12 more staff members due to it being shift change.
They talked about how the initial reports were reporting an explosion, and it took some time to establish that it was a plane crash. Location was also an issue initially along with determining where responders needed to go. They were able to get an IPAWS alert out in 16 minutes for a shelter-in-place order. Jody jokingly said, “Crime went down in the rest of the city during the shelter in place.”
On top of the 9-1-1 calls, there were also multiple calls coming in from the media, the mayor’s office, families, etc., trying to obtain information. They talked about how having alerting platforms in place helped with this strain. In addition to IPAWS, they alerted people with LouReady mobile app and LENS. They also used a remote call center and set up a 1-800 number as a hotline.
With 300 responders on the scene, accountability was an issue. IC didn’t know where anyone was or who was there. Several people self-dispatched. Even with this many responders on the radio, there were minimal system busied, and everyone was calm. They said that everyone inside and outside of the comms center checked their ego at the door, and everyone was able to work well together.
Mental health services were on staff and helped the dispatchers and call takers.
A couple of powerful quotes that I took away from the session were “You can always do things better, and that don’t mean you did anything wrong” and “never let a good disaster go to waste, promote your dispatchers and call takers.
There are 39 minutes of body cam footage on YouTube under UPS crash Midwest safety.
Written by Christie Davis
