Editor’s note:
Check out our post about this synthesis for where the data comes from and how we analyze it.
— Jay
Derby City Watch logged seven days of police scanner activity during Christmas week. Most calls were medical emergencies and false alarms.
But the Christmas holiday pattern reveals what Louisville's emergency systems handle when normal rhythms break down - and what stays constant no matter what.
What 911 Calls Reveal About Holiday Capacity
Multiple medical emergencies daily across seven days. Chest pain, overdoses, strokes, breathing difficulties.
Fire responses clustered around actual fires. Fewer false alarms this week compared to previous periods, but more structure fires. House fire on W Jefferson St with flames visible from first floor. Residential fire on Greenup Rd requiring forced entry. Barrel fire contained before threatening structures. Dumpster fire near Baxter Avenue. Vehicle fire following a traffic collision on South 22nd Street.
The mechanism: When people are home for holidays, cooking increases, heating systems run harder, more vehicles are on roads. Fire risk shifts from commercial false alarms to residential actual fires.
Traffic incidents with injuries. Head-on collision on Indian Lake Dr at 3:19 a.m., airbags deployed, vehicle overturned. Vehicle fire after crash. 12-year-old with leg deformity after traffic accident, two males fled scene. Holiday travel, late-night driving, increased alcohol use - predictable patterns.
Shooting incidents maintained steady pace. Shooting on Skyline Dr - male victim with gunshot wound to head, confirmed deceased. Active gunfire near Cecilia Way, eight rounds, no injuries. Gunfire at Furyway area, shell casings located in alley, no victims found. Shooting near Strawberry Ln - stabbing victim with facial injuries, suspect fled. Violence doesn't observe holidays.
The pattern: Louisville's 911 system handles different emergency types during holidays - more fires, same violence, steady medical crises. Resource allocation shifts but total load doesn't decrease.
The Medical Emergency Baseline
Medical calls remained constant across the week. No holiday pause for cardiac arrest or respiratory distress.
December 22: Multiple urgent medical calls downtown within one hour. Woman in her 50s with chest pain on South 4th Street. 69-year-old man struggling to breathe on W Kentucky St. 70-year-old woman short of air at Crescent Towers. Three simultaneous responses requiring staged EMS units.
December 21: Two critical calls at Dixie Hwy intersections within minutes. 23-year-old woman vomiting blood with severe chest pain. 61-year-old man with stroke symptoms. Both required multi-unit coordinated response.
December 25: 52-year-old male on Rowan St with severe breathing difficulty, chest pressure, swollen legs - cardiac issue requiring multiple units. 78-year-old woman with chest pain and shortness of breath, CPR underway on arrival.
December 26: Multiple overdose responses. 45-year-old male on Newburg Rd found unconscious. 20-year-old male on South 4th Street. 39-year-old male unresponsive at residence on Pressing Highway requiring stabilization.
The mechanism: Louisville's aging population plus ongoing addiction crisis means EMS stays stretched regardless of calendar. Every cardiac call requires fire and EMS staging. Every overdose gets Narcan and transport. The system handles it - but margins stay thin.
Violence: The Christmas Week Pattern
Shooting incidents clustered early in the week, violent assaults later.
December 25: Fatal shooting on Skyline Dr at 6:26 a.m. Male victim with gunshot wound to head, not breathing, confirmed deceased after CPR attempts. Suspect described as male in red shirt, crying, possibly victim's family member. This violent event shattered the holiday morning for the neighborhood.
Same day, 2:20 a.m.: Active gunfire near Cecilia Way, approximately eight gunshots reported. No injuries located, officers canvassed area. Residents woke to gunfire before dawn on Christmas.
December 26: Stabbing at Strawberry Ln, 11:50 p.m. Male victim with heavy facial injuries, bleeding significantly. Suspect fled in blue Dodge Ram. EMS transported to hospital.
December 26: Shooting incident near Furyway, 12:30 p.m. Multiple rounds fired, shell casings located in alley. BOLO issued for two hooded males with flashlights in backyard. No victims found but neighborhood on alert.
December 27: High-speed vehicle pursuit ending with suspect firing shot into ground, injuring himself. Black Chevy Impala, stolen vehicle recovered. Suspect detained after significant police response.
The pattern showing up: Gun violence triggers multi-unit responses and extended scene processing. Medical calls are higher volume but faster turnover. Violent incidents during holidays carry additional trauma - Christmas morning shooting, Christmas Day stabbing. Both stress the system, but differently.
Fire Response: The Holiday Shift
Structure fires replaced false alarms as dominant fire response pattern.
December 23: House fire on W Jefferson St at 9:54 a.m. Flames visible from first floor of two-story residence. Swift response from multiple fire units. Building searched, no occupants inside. Fire controlled quickly, no injuries.
December 24: Residential fire on Greenup Rd at 3:59 p.m. Smoke visible, active water flow indicating active fire. Forced entry at rear, multiple units suppressing blaze. Fire contained within structure, no injuries. Quick response prevented escalation.
December 24: Dumpster fire on E Liberty St at 10:43 p.m. West side of CSX tracks, quickly extinguished. No spread, no property damage.
December 24: Vehicle fire at South 22nd Street and W Muhammad Ali Blvd at 11:25 p.m. Following traffic collision, vehicle burning, 12-year-old male with obvious leg deformity. EMS stabilized victim, fire crews extinguished vehicle fire.
December 24: Major fire alarm response at AT&T Building, 600 block of South 26th Street at 10:56 p.m. Large response, multiple units, confirmed no fire. False activation from maintenance issues. Scene secured after thorough assessment.
December 27: Fire contained to barrel at South 23rd Street and Cowling Ave at 6:01 a.m. Flames shooting from yard, quickly extinguished, no threat to structures.
The trade-off: Holiday week saw fewer commercial false alarms but more actual residential fires. Cooking, heating, more people home - predictable fire risk increase. Fire units responded to real threats rather than cycling through false alarm rotations.
The Pursuit Pattern
Vehicle pursuits continued despite holiday period. Suspects fleeing traffic stops, stolen vehicles, domestic disputes turning into high-speed chases.
December 26: Suspicious vehicle pursuit near East exit at 12:45 p.m. Officers spotted vehicle matching stolen car description on Evans St. Vehicle fled when intercepted. Pursuit ended, vehicle found unoccupied, suspect search ongoing.
December 27: High-speed vehicle pursuit ending in self-inflicted gunshot. Black Chevy Impala, suspected stolen, located at liquor store on Dixie Hwy near Oak at 12:35 a.m. Suspect fired shot into ground during stop, injured himself. Detained, vehicle recovered.
The mechanism: Pursuits shut down roads, require staging, involve K-9 and air support. They're resource-intensive and dangerous. But when suspects flee, the calculus changes - let them go or risk the chase. LMPD mostly chooses the chase, even on Christmas week.
What The Data Shows
Derby City Watch transcribes scanner traffic in real time. This is community-sourced observation vs. official departmental reporting.
Limitations:
Transcription errors occur
Not all incidents are captured
Scanner traffic doesn't include outcomes (arrests, charges, hospital status)
Geographic distribution is uneven (some areas have more scanner activity)
What it does show:
Call volume patterns during holidays
Resource allocation shifts (fewer false alarms, more structure fires)
What types of emergencies maintain constant load (medical, violence)
How emergency services coordinate across fire, EMS, and police during holiday week
This isn't crime statistics. It's emergency system load during Christmas week.
The Infrastructure Story
Louisville's 911 system handled Christmas week without collapse. Medical crisis management continued seven days straight. Violence didn't pause for holidays. Fire responses shifted to actual structure fires rather than false alarm rotations.
The calls kept coming: fatal shooting Christmas morning on Skyline Dr, house fire on W Jefferson St, chest pain downtown, overdose in multiple neighborhoods, vehicle pursuit ending in self-injury.
Fire units rotated between structure fires and occasional false alarms. EMS units shuttled between hospitals and scenes. Police units bounced between shootings, domestic disturbances, and pursuits.
The system works - until it doesn't. When multiple emergencies hit simultaneously (Dec 22 downtown medical cluster, Dec 25 fatal shooting plus gunfire plus overdoses), response times stretch. When pursuits lock down units, other calls wait.
Holiday week revealed the baseline: Medical emergencies don't decrease. Violence continues. Fire risk shifts but doesn't disappear. Emergency infrastructure operates at constant load regardless of calendar.
One pattern across Derby City Watch posts: "Look out for one another."
That's the reminder at the end of every digest. Because when 911 response times depend on call volume and unit availability, community awareness becomes infrastructure.
Especially during Christmas week, when emergency responders work while others celebrate - and the calls keep coming.
Data source: Derby City Watch daily digests, Dec 21-27, 2025. Scanner transcription, community-sourced. Not official police reporting.
Disclaimer: Information processed automatically. May contain errors or omissions. Not official police reporting.
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