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Answering 911: Life in the Hot Seat
You answer a call from a fourteen-year-old boy asking for someone to arrest his mother, who is smoking crack in their bathroom. You talk with him until the cops arrive, making sure there are no weapons around and learning that his favorite subject in school is lunch. Five minutes later, you have to deal with someone complaining about his neighbor’s clarinet practice. What is it like to be on the receiving end of desperate calls for help . . . every day? Caroline Burau, a former newspaper reporter and nursing student who couldn’t stand the sight of blood, takes a job as an emergency dispatcher because she likes helping people. But on-the-job training at the comm center proves to be more than she bargained for. As she adjusts to a daily life of catastrophe and comedy, domestics and drunks, cops and robbers, junk food and sarcasm, lost cats and suicides, she discovers that crisis can become routine, that coworkers can be mean—that she must continue to care and, at times, learn how to let go.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Caroline Burau
4 books34 followersCaroline Burau lives and writes in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
March 2, 2021
This book went nowhere. It started off promisingly enough - a crack addict trains to be a nurse, leaves that becomes a newspaper reporter (and says she would never win the Pulitzer prize, too right) and then a 911 operative. This journey was quite interesting but it never developed. It was just 'we did this', 'my husband did that' and mysteriously, she adopts his 9 year old daughter as her own after having said that she never knew what to say or do with her and seems to have very little interest in her at all.
The 911 stories were not gripping. Her colleagues seem to be all serial snackers and smokers. She doesn't want to be a 911 operative at all, gripes about the hours and occasionally about criticism and lack of appreciation. It is probably this lack of enthusiasm why the book is so one-note. At one point she leaves to work for her husband, but when that business closes, she goes back to 911 because it pays well and, her mantra throughout the book, she 'likes helping people'. Great, admirable but a mediocre read.
The 911 stories were not gripping. Her colleagues seem to be all serial snackers and smokers. She doesn't want to be a 911 operative at all, gripes about the hours and occasionally about criticism and lack of appreciation. It is probably this lack of enthusiasm why the book is so one-note. At one point she leaves to work for her husband, but when that business closes, she goes back to 911 because it pays well and, her mantra throughout the book, she 'likes helping people'. Great, admirable but a mediocre read.
October 18, 2019
"Good things happen, I remind myself often. It's just that nobody calls 911 to tell us about it when it does." -- the author, page 142
Brisk, opinionated and informative little memoir that serves as a good companion piece to Michael Perry's Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time (and Perry, a fellow Minnesota native like Burau, appropriately provides a complimentary back cover blurb here) about the author's rookie years as a 911 dispatcher for the police / fire / EMS services in Ramsey County, Minnesota.
Burau has a nice, no-nonsense writing style - carrying over from her earlier days as a newspaper reporter, when she covered city council meetings and similar assignments - and begins with briefly describing her troubled teen and young adult years. After extricating herself from a potentially lethal drug use and a domestic violence-prone relationship (with the assistance / support of her loving, steadfast parents) she soon found herself in the unlikely employment of the county sheriff's office.
As a second shift (3 p.m. - 11 p.m.) dispatcher - one of five civilian employees in a small 'radio room' tasked with phone call intake / dispatching for the multiple agencies (several police departments, fire stations, and ambulance services) in the area surrounding the capital city of St. Paul - she has a not quite front row seat to the admittedly "long hours of boredom followed by long minutes of chaos . . . I am on the roller coaster." (A former co-worker of mine once correctly called the second shift for any first responders "a little bit of the daytime, a little bit of the nighttime, and all of the $#%& in between.")
Burau has some good stories and anecdotes - there's a little horror, a lot more humor, and also the expected oddities (both people and situations) that tend to crop up in the emergency services field - in just a succinct 200 pages. It's a very straightforward book, yet it's also executed to perfection.
Brisk, opinionated and informative little memoir that serves as a good companion piece to Michael Perry's Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time (and Perry, a fellow Minnesota native like Burau, appropriately provides a complimentary back cover blurb here) about the author's rookie years as a 911 dispatcher for the police / fire / EMS services in Ramsey County, Minnesota.
Burau has a nice, no-nonsense writing style - carrying over from her earlier days as a newspaper reporter, when she covered city council meetings and similar assignments - and begins with briefly describing her troubled teen and young adult years. After extricating herself from a potentially lethal drug use and a domestic violence-prone relationship (with the assistance / support of her loving, steadfast parents) she soon found herself in the unlikely employment of the county sheriff's office.
As a second shift (3 p.m. - 11 p.m.) dispatcher - one of five civilian employees in a small 'radio room' tasked with phone call intake / dispatching for the multiple agencies (several police departments, fire stations, and ambulance services) in the area surrounding the capital city of St. Paul - she has a not quite front row seat to the admittedly "long hours of boredom followed by long minutes of chaos . . . I am on the roller coaster." (A former co-worker of mine once correctly called the second shift for any first responders "a little bit of the daytime, a little bit of the nighttime, and all of the $#%& in between.")
Burau has some good stories and anecdotes - there's a little horror, a lot more humor, and also the expected oddities (both people and situations) that tend to crop up in the emergency services field - in just a succinct 200 pages. It's a very straightforward book, yet it's also executed to perfection.
June 7, 2010
It has been a year since I read this book, I think I'll have to put it back on my list of books to re-read now that I have anothter year of dispatching under my belt.
Overall I think she hit the nail on the head describing what life in the dispatcher's seat is like. The most enlightening quote in the book came on page 4: "I'll figure out how to make you understand what it's like to be staring at a crossword puzzle and trying to think of a six-letter word for 'run rapidly' one minute, and the next, asking a twelve-year-old girl what kind of a gun her mother just used to blow her own head off." With only 2 years on the job, I have a similar story and at times it can be hard to grasp what we do every day and I think she does a really good job of explaining the stresses of the job.”
Overall I think she hit the nail on the head describing what life in the dispatcher's seat is like. The most enlightening quote in the book came on page 4: "I'll figure out how to make you understand what it's like to be staring at a crossword puzzle and trying to think of a six-letter word for 'run rapidly' one minute, and the next, asking a twelve-year-old girl what kind of a gun her mother just used to blow her own head off." With only 2 years on the job, I have a similar story and at times it can be hard to grasp what we do every day and I think she does a really good job of explaining the stresses of the job.”
January 8, 2012
As a 911 dispatcher, I loved this book. It was nice to read some of the things that I have felt throughout my years working this job put into words. I found my self nodding or laughing at the similarities. I skimmed over previous reviews that mentioned how cynical the writer was, however, until you sit in that chair and field all of those calls, which was the point of the book, you can't understand that skewed vision and sense of people and the world around you we see.
I loved the descriptions of the lack of cleanliness of the dispatch center to the frustration of all the different personalities melding together in some of the most tense of situations.
Kudos to the author for all of the credit that she gave the officers and agencies, as well as underlining the importance of being a dispatcher.
It was nice and a little discouraging to know that dispatch centers across the states are so similar! I will be sending/recommending this book to some of my friends and family. As a close, I would have to say that the part of the book that rang most true with me and made me laugh, was the excerpt about how at the end of the day you find yourself staring off, hearing your phone ring and have found that you have lost the ability to "chat" and that having meaningful conversations become difficult as you adjust to needing to know the point of the conversation IMMEDIATELY!!
I loved the descriptions of the lack of cleanliness of the dispatch center to the frustration of all the different personalities melding together in some of the most tense of situations.
Kudos to the author for all of the credit that she gave the officers and agencies, as well as underlining the importance of being a dispatcher.
It was nice and a little discouraging to know that dispatch centers across the states are so similar! I will be sending/recommending this book to some of my friends and family. As a close, I would have to say that the part of the book that rang most true with me and made me laugh, was the excerpt about how at the end of the day you find yourself staring off, hearing your phone ring and have found that you have lost the ability to "chat" and that having meaningful conversations become difficult as you adjust to needing to know the point of the conversation IMMEDIATELY!!
January 4, 2014
this book was really awful. it was relatively short, and turned into so-bad-its-good every once in a while, so i was able to actually get through all of it. i'm glad i did because some of the best of the worst shit was in the last few chapters.
it became very clear early on in the book that this woman very likely has borderline personality disorder, which is probably not uncommon in a job like this. she is also the kind of person who thinks that the phrase "wherever you go, there you are" is profound and uses it as a thread of continuity throughout this book, which was literally agonizing to read every time it came up. she says she has been in Alcoholics Anonymous for over ten years, so she "knows things". she also uses quite a lot of the book to talk shit about her coworkers and then praise them in faux-piety a moment later.
by far the best part of this book (as in, the worst part of it) were the chapters called "On Wannabes", where she takes to task all the "self-appointed security guards", real security guards, wannabe cops, etc, and "The Job", where she alternates between praising herself, demeaning others, pretending that she is humble, that she isn't into all that draamaaaaaaaaaa (despite writing a book about it), and trying to cover her narcissism with meek obedience to her superiors/the rules, and finishes it off with a deluge of humble-brag.
a short excerpt from "On Wannabes":
"I only like cops and civilians. Anyone who thinks there is something in between is suspicious. I figure, why would anyone want to do a cop's job if he's not a cop? Because he thinks it's fun? ... The more an sasg tries to endear him or herself to me, the oogier I get.Same goes for wannabes. Sorry. Every day, all day, we are burdened with knowing all about the worst possible things that people do to others and to themselves. Wannabes and SASGS go *looking* for the shit. It's not even a paid job for them; it's a hobby, a passion. I don't get that."
Get that? She just does it for the paycheck. She's not into all that draaamaaaaaaaaa! Anyone who is interested in that is a fucking weirdo (she says, in a book about 911 dispatch). Then it's just a skip hop and a jump over one other chapter to "The Job", and we find, as she is talking shit about some "new girl" named Sela and her incompetence, and displaying a stunning lack of any kind of self-awareness whatsoever:
"Within a couple of weeks, Sela was transferred to an admin job downtown. Everybody was a little bit frosted about that, because we heard she didn't have to take a cut in pay. If there's anything that helps us slog along in here, it's the feeling that what we do is harder and worth more money than typing memos and making copies.
I don't know if I believe she actually got no cut in pay and weekends off. Still, no more 911. Wouldn't you miss that? ... A lot of people think that if you can't hack it in dispatch, you could never make it as a cop. That would imply that being a cop is more challenging than being a dispatcher, or that being a dispatcher is just a stepping stone to being a cop. Either way, cops tend to make more money than dispatchers, which nobody seems to question."
jesus christ. how did this get published?
it became very clear early on in the book that this woman very likely has borderline personality disorder, which is probably not uncommon in a job like this. she is also the kind of person who thinks that the phrase "wherever you go, there you are" is profound and uses it as a thread of continuity throughout this book, which was literally agonizing to read every time it came up. she says she has been in Alcoholics Anonymous for over ten years, so she "knows things". she also uses quite a lot of the book to talk shit about her coworkers and then praise them in faux-piety a moment later.
by far the best part of this book (as in, the worst part of it) were the chapters called "On Wannabes", where she takes to task all the "self-appointed security guards", real security guards, wannabe cops, etc, and "The Job", where she alternates between praising herself, demeaning others, pretending that she is humble, that she isn't into all that draamaaaaaaaaaa (despite writing a book about it), and trying to cover her narcissism with meek obedience to her superiors/the rules, and finishes it off with a deluge of humble-brag.
a short excerpt from "On Wannabes":
"I only like cops and civilians. Anyone who thinks there is something in between is suspicious. I figure, why would anyone want to do a cop's job if he's not a cop? Because he thinks it's fun? ... The more an sasg tries to endear him or herself to me, the oogier I get.Same goes for wannabes. Sorry. Every day, all day, we are burdened with knowing all about the worst possible things that people do to others and to themselves. Wannabes and SASGS go *looking* for the shit. It's not even a paid job for them; it's a hobby, a passion. I don't get that."
Get that? She just does it for the paycheck. She's not into all that draaamaaaaaaaaa! Anyone who is interested in that is a fucking weirdo (she says, in a book about 911 dispatch). Then it's just a skip hop and a jump over one other chapter to "The Job", and we find, as she is talking shit about some "new girl" named Sela and her incompetence, and displaying a stunning lack of any kind of self-awareness whatsoever:
"Within a couple of weeks, Sela was transferred to an admin job downtown. Everybody was a little bit frosted about that, because we heard she didn't have to take a cut in pay. If there's anything that helps us slog along in here, it's the feeling that what we do is harder and worth more money than typing memos and making copies.
I don't know if I believe she actually got no cut in pay and weekends off. Still, no more 911. Wouldn't you miss that? ... A lot of people think that if you can't hack it in dispatch, you could never make it as a cop. That would imply that being a cop is more challenging than being a dispatcher, or that being a dispatcher is just a stepping stone to being a cop. Either way, cops tend to make more money than dispatchers, which nobody seems to question."
jesus christ. how did this get published?
March 22, 2015
NOTE - This book was poorly edited and there are countless spelling mistakes and errors.
NOTE - This book really could have only been 156 pages long the last 47 pages were not really crucial to the story and were more of a tirade/rant about the pros and cons of being a 911 dispatcher. I think this subject matter is demonstrated clearly in the stories and encounters the author shares with the readers.
At first when I started reading this book I was thinking of changing careers and that this was something I could go to school for and learn how to do. I was unsure of all the complexities and roles that the job truly entailed until reading this book. Now that I have read the book there is NO ABSOLUTE WAY IN HELL that I could ever do this job. It is high stress, high octane 100% of the time. The author showed when you are at work you cannot think enough about work and when you are away from work you can't think enough about work. Some of the situations, although incredibly real, were mind blowing to say the least and even the smartest individual may not have an idea as to how to handle the situation. There were a lot of good mini stories that captured various parts of the job of a 911 dispatcher that made this book worth reading, so if you can excuse the editorial mistakes and the extra filler pages please give this book a try it's very interesting at the core.
NOTE - This book really could have only been 156 pages long the last 47 pages were not really crucial to the story and were more of a tirade/rant about the pros and cons of being a 911 dispatcher. I think this subject matter is demonstrated clearly in the stories and encounters the author shares with the readers.
At first when I started reading this book I was thinking of changing careers and that this was something I could go to school for and learn how to do. I was unsure of all the complexities and roles that the job truly entailed until reading this book. Now that I have read the book there is NO ABSOLUTE WAY IN HELL that I could ever do this job. It is high stress, high octane 100% of the time. The author showed when you are at work you cannot think enough about work and when you are away from work you can't think enough about work. Some of the situations, although incredibly real, were mind blowing to say the least and even the smartest individual may not have an idea as to how to handle the situation. There were a lot of good mini stories that captured various parts of the job of a 911 dispatcher that made this book worth reading, so if you can excuse the editorial mistakes and the extra filler pages please give this book a try it's very interesting at the core.
May 8, 2012
I am a fairly new 911 Dispatcher (4 yrs) and was really, really searching for some insight and inspiration. I absolutely loved this book and wished that this writer would do more. I felt like I was reading about my own dispatch centre. It helped me realize that some of the things that occur and some of the feelings I feel at work are normal...I'm not an anomaly. I have recommended this book to my other co-workers and my 911 partner read it while we worked together, we laughed so hard because it was so similar to how things are at our work place, mice included!
Thank you to the author...I now realize that I like to help people too! It reinvigorated me at work and I have kept certain quotes handy for days when I need a pick me up!
Thank you to the author...I now realize that I like to help people too! It reinvigorated me at work and I have kept certain quotes handy for days when I need a pick me up!
June 11, 2012
I was a dispatcher pre-911. Different world. When I dispatched in the 1970's if someone needed the police for an emergency or for just some bull-shit, they all called on the same phone line. No big fancy computers way back then, you sort of flew by the seat of your pants, waiting for information for officers on the street that took way too long. I worked for a small department with only three or four cars on the street on a shift, and the fire department when they went out. Caroline really hit it on the head describing the emotions a dispatcher goes through while handling an emergency call or a routine call. Good job Caroline.
September 14, 2015
My career in a nutshell.
I have been in emergency communications for over 5 years now and this author couldn't have gotten the story anymore right. It's up it's down it's happy it's sad you're constantly in a state of uncertainty and constantly questioning why you still remain. I recommend reading this book of you are a telecommunicator or family of one. You may wonder why your daughters or sons or husbands or wives carry on in ways you can't understand. If you've ever wondered with anger why they don't handle you in a nurturing way.... read this please.
I have been in emergency communications for over 5 years now and this author couldn't have gotten the story anymore right. It's up it's down it's happy it's sad you're constantly in a state of uncertainty and constantly questioning why you still remain. I recommend reading this book of you are a telecommunicator or family of one. You may wonder why your daughters or sons or husbands or wives carry on in ways you can't understand. If you've ever wondered with anger why they don't handle you in a nurturing way.... read this please.
April 10, 2013
I recommend reading this book if you have any interest at all in joining a dispatching crew. She doesn't sugar coat a thing! It's a good picture of the personality a person needs to possess to do that kind of work. It also brings insight to the struggle of separating home and work. She struggles with whether she can perform her duties effectively and up to par which is something everyone can relate to especially me.
July 24, 2010
GREAT book! Absolutly phenominal!! If you work in fire, police, or EMS, this is TOTALLY the book for you! I laughed out loud several time and shook my head in agreement with the author even more. Outstanding book! A great new author is on the horizon!
June 20, 2011
This past Christmas I received a Kindle e-reader from my lovely bride. I
was anxious to utilize it during my 'slower times' at work. I was also
somewhat hesitant to get caught reading "outside reading material',
which our SOP forbids. Therefore, I checked Amazon for e-books about
dispatching. Unfortunately, books about dispatching are pretty rare and
not many have been converted into e-format. Amazon only listed one book
about dispatching, "Answering 911: Life in the Hot Seat" by Caroline Burau.
I reluctantly downloaded the book, expecting possibly a dry and
technical read. It is my pleasure to report the complete opposite. I
read the whole book in just 2-days. I was so enamored by the book that I
immediately decided to write a review of the book and submit it to the
NHEDA Newsletter. It was my original intention to quote some sentences
from the book so that others would understand why I liked this tome so much.
Ironically, in the course of looking for those four or five sentences
that I could relate to my fellow dispatchers, I found myself completely
re-reading the whole book.
The author puts us in the hot seat and shows us the madness, the
sadness, and the gallows humor of a profession that serves and protects
in ways most people would never dream. From the book, "You answer a call
from a fourteen-year-old boy asking for someone to arrest his mother,
who is smoking crack in their bathroom. You talk with him until the cops
arrive, making sure there are no weapons around and learning that his
favorite subject in school is lunch. Five minutes later, you have to
deal with someone complaining about his neighbor’s clarinet practice.
What is it like to be on the receiving end of desperate calls for help .
. . every day"
The author is a former nursing student who couldn’t stand the sight of
blood and then a former newspaper reporter who takes a job as an
emergency dispatcher because she likes helping people. But on-the-job
training at the comm center proves to be more than she bargained for. As
she adjusts to a daily life of catastrophe and comedy, domestics and
drunks, cops and robbers, junk food and sarcasm, lost cats and suicides,
she discovers that crisis can become routine, that coworkers can be
mean—that she must continue to care and, at times, learn how to let go.
Overall I think the author hit the nail on the head describing what life
in the dispatcher's seat is like. The most enlightening quote in the
book came on page 4: "I'll figure out how to make you understand what
it's like to be staring at a crossword puzzle and trying to think of a
six-letter word for 'run rapidly' one minute, and the next, asking a
twelve-year-old girl what kind of a gun her mother just used to blow her
own head off."
Burau's transition to 911 dispatcher is bittersweet: just as she gains
mastery over the hectic, oppressive atmosphere of the call center (just
when DO you think they get time to vacuum a place that's occupied 24/7?)
she's beginning to doubt whether she can do this job for 30 years like
Kristen, Queen of the "Main Line" (which in her center is the primary
frequency). She becomes jaded because of the constant exposure to crisis
& misfortune, but also discovers that her detachment has given her an
inner strength she didn't know was possible.
Burau unpacked calls and events to tell a larger story with an important
theme — there is such a thing as free will, you can’t help everyone, and
it is ok to take a cry break if you need one.
I loved reading about Burau’s connection with her job, even if the job
didn’t exactly connect with her right away. As someone who gets
frustrated if she’s not good at something the first time she tries, hers
is a valuable lesson in persistence. And the humorous irony of dropping
out of nursing school for being afraid of blood was not lost on her,
which makes her story all the more interesting and worthy of telling.
She’s also a former reporter, the prodding kind she grows to detest when
sitting on the other side of the desk. She’s an interesting story
herself with a refreshing and frank book worth picking up.
I highly recommend this book to my fellow dispatchers. I may even be
purchasing a printed copy for the fellow dispatchers in my center.
was anxious to utilize it during my 'slower times' at work. I was also
somewhat hesitant to get caught reading "outside reading material',
which our SOP forbids. Therefore, I checked Amazon for e-books about
dispatching. Unfortunately, books about dispatching are pretty rare and
not many have been converted into e-format. Amazon only listed one book
about dispatching, "Answering 911: Life in the Hot Seat" by Caroline Burau.
I reluctantly downloaded the book, expecting possibly a dry and
technical read. It is my pleasure to report the complete opposite. I
read the whole book in just 2-days. I was so enamored by the book that I
immediately decided to write a review of the book and submit it to the
NHEDA Newsletter. It was my original intention to quote some sentences
from the book so that others would understand why I liked this tome so much.
Ironically, in the course of looking for those four or five sentences
that I could relate to my fellow dispatchers, I found myself completely
re-reading the whole book.
The author puts us in the hot seat and shows us the madness, the
sadness, and the gallows humor of a profession that serves and protects
in ways most people would never dream. From the book, "You answer a call
from a fourteen-year-old boy asking for someone to arrest his mother,
who is smoking crack in their bathroom. You talk with him until the cops
arrive, making sure there are no weapons around and learning that his
favorite subject in school is lunch. Five minutes later, you have to
deal with someone complaining about his neighbor’s clarinet practice.
What is it like to be on the receiving end of desperate calls for help .
. . every day"
The author is a former nursing student who couldn’t stand the sight of
blood and then a former newspaper reporter who takes a job as an
emergency dispatcher because she likes helping people. But on-the-job
training at the comm center proves to be more than she bargained for. As
she adjusts to a daily life of catastrophe and comedy, domestics and
drunks, cops and robbers, junk food and sarcasm, lost cats and suicides,
she discovers that crisis can become routine, that coworkers can be
mean—that she must continue to care and, at times, learn how to let go.
Overall I think the author hit the nail on the head describing what life
in the dispatcher's seat is like. The most enlightening quote in the
book came on page 4: "I'll figure out how to make you understand what
it's like to be staring at a crossword puzzle and trying to think of a
six-letter word for 'run rapidly' one minute, and the next, asking a
twelve-year-old girl what kind of a gun her mother just used to blow her
own head off."
Burau's transition to 911 dispatcher is bittersweet: just as she gains
mastery over the hectic, oppressive atmosphere of the call center (just
when DO you think they get time to vacuum a place that's occupied 24/7?)
she's beginning to doubt whether she can do this job for 30 years like
Kristen, Queen of the "Main Line" (which in her center is the primary
frequency). She becomes jaded because of the constant exposure to crisis
& misfortune, but also discovers that her detachment has given her an
inner strength she didn't know was possible.
Burau unpacked calls and events to tell a larger story with an important
theme — there is such a thing as free will, you can’t help everyone, and
it is ok to take a cry break if you need one.
I loved reading about Burau’s connection with her job, even if the job
didn’t exactly connect with her right away. As someone who gets
frustrated if she’s not good at something the first time she tries, hers
is a valuable lesson in persistence. And the humorous irony of dropping
out of nursing school for being afraid of blood was not lost on her,
which makes her story all the more interesting and worthy of telling.
She’s also a former reporter, the prodding kind she grows to detest when
sitting on the other side of the desk. She’s an interesting story
herself with a refreshing and frank book worth picking up.
I highly recommend this book to my fellow dispatchers. I may even be
purchasing a printed copy for the fellow dispatchers in my center.
September 26, 2019
This shit was great
January 1, 2010
I stumbled upon this book one day while browsing GoodReads, and was immediately drawn to the cover.
It was a perfect quick weekend read, and let’s face it, I’m a sucker for memoirs detailing lives more interesting and fast-paced than my own.
Of course, I assumed like most people Burau describes when they hear she is a 911 dispatcher – “Oh, you must have interesting stories.” I thought it would be neat to read a book about interesting stories, not realizing that the most “interesting” involved someone’s worst (and possibly last) day on earth. ”Interesting” can also leave you jaded and color your view of humanity permanently. So in that sense, it’s not a book with interesting stories at all.
But instead of depressing everyone like she could have, Burau unpacked calls and events to tell a larger story with an important theme — there is such a thing as free will, you can’t help everyone, and it’s ok to take a cry break if you need one. I need to remember that last one more often.
I loved reading about Burau’s connection with her job, even if the job didn’t exactly connect with her right away. As someone who gets frustrated if she’s not good at something the first time she tries, hers is a valuable lesson in persistence. And the humorous irony of dropping out of nursing school for being afraid of blood was not lost on her, which makes her story all the more interesting and worthy of telling. She’s also a former reporter, the prodding kind she grows to detest when sitting on the other side of the desk. Not to mention, she is a recovering crack addict. She’s an interesting story herself with a refreshing and frank book worth picking up.
It was a perfect quick weekend read, and let’s face it, I’m a sucker for memoirs detailing lives more interesting and fast-paced than my own.
Of course, I assumed like most people Burau describes when they hear she is a 911 dispatcher – “Oh, you must have interesting stories.” I thought it would be neat to read a book about interesting stories, not realizing that the most “interesting” involved someone’s worst (and possibly last) day on earth. ”Interesting” can also leave you jaded and color your view of humanity permanently. So in that sense, it’s not a book with interesting stories at all.
But instead of depressing everyone like she could have, Burau unpacked calls and events to tell a larger story with an important theme — there is such a thing as free will, you can’t help everyone, and it’s ok to take a cry break if you need one. I need to remember that last one more often.
I loved reading about Burau’s connection with her job, even if the job didn’t exactly connect with her right away. As someone who gets frustrated if she’s not good at something the first time she tries, hers is a valuable lesson in persistence. And the humorous irony of dropping out of nursing school for being afraid of blood was not lost on her, which makes her story all the more interesting and worthy of telling. She’s also a former reporter, the prodding kind she grows to detest when sitting on the other side of the desk. Not to mention, she is a recovering crack addict. She’s an interesting story herself with a refreshing and frank book worth picking up.
August 10, 2011
I've never worked in a 9-1-1 call center, but the emergency telecommunications field has been on the fringes of my life for many years. My husband (from whom I borrowed this book) became a 9-1-1 dispatcher back in the '90s, and I began working in law enforcement administration myself in 2005. I currently work in Records for the local Sheriff's Office, so many, many of the scenarios Burau describes in this book are familiar to me. I type them up every day. My co-workers and I have the same dark and twisted sense of humor. I know it sounds sick, but it's just that kind of detachment that keeps me from crying when the third suicide note that week lands on my desk. So I can definitely identify with Burau's cynicism and burnout oddly balanced by a genuine desire to help people.
On the other hand, I recognize that my job is pretty cushy in comparison to that of a dispatcher or a cop. So I appreciate Burau's ability to communicate to a lay readership the unique pressure that 9-1-1 professionals are under. This is a segment of the public safety industry that gets precious little recognition for or even basic acknowledgment of what they go through on a daily basis. Burau does a good job of putting a human face to these anonymous, invisible voices. I just wished sometimes that she wouldn't talk quite so much about the minutiae of her personal life or that she would quit whining about personality conflicts in the workplace.
Overall, this is an interesting and occasionally thought-provoking read. Three stars seems a bit stingy, but the sometimes disjointed style was just jarring enough to keep it from being a four-star book.
On the other hand, I recognize that my job is pretty cushy in comparison to that of a dispatcher or a cop. So I appreciate Burau's ability to communicate to a lay readership the unique pressure that 9-1-1 professionals are under. This is a segment of the public safety industry that gets precious little recognition for or even basic acknowledgment of what they go through on a daily basis. Burau does a good job of putting a human face to these anonymous, invisible voices. I just wished sometimes that she wouldn't talk quite so much about the minutiae of her personal life or that she would quit whining about personality conflicts in the workplace.
Overall, this is an interesting and occasionally thought-provoking read. Three stars seems a bit stingy, but the sometimes disjointed style was just jarring enough to keep it from being a four-star book.
January 8, 2011
The tales of the book are very gripping, but the rest of the book is brimming with mundane deatils (I don't need to know that her bra opened during a call and that she had to "wait to tuck the girls back in" after the call.) This book is more about the opinions of the author about the callers themselves, not the situations at hand. I was hoping that the book would be a compilation of experiences, but instead it was a snarky arrogant tale of the author's disdain for most of the callers that called in. While I could very well understand her annoyance at many of them, she just came off far too judgemental for me to feel comfortable if I ever (god forbid) had to deal with her on the other line.
In all fairness regarding the previous reviews about the author being a former addict, this is irrevelant and never comes into play during the book except in the introduction to the reader how she came to become a dispatcher in the first place. It is such a minute part of the book that it shouldn't even be an issue, and I am not sure why the previous reviewers felt the need to make it one. I have no bias regarding her past addiction, and the role was so small that the author could have left this out of the book completely.
It is a short read, an easy one, and as one reviewer mentioned, a good "weekend book". I am disappointed that the author spent the bulk of the bulk mumbling aloud about wanting to be happy and finding the right job and complaining about the callers that the impact of the calls themselves fell to the wayside. I would have appreciated more substance, less venting.
In all fairness regarding the previous reviews about the author being a former addict, this is irrevelant and never comes into play during the book except in the introduction to the reader how she came to become a dispatcher in the first place. It is such a minute part of the book that it shouldn't even be an issue, and I am not sure why the previous reviewers felt the need to make it one. I have no bias regarding her past addiction, and the role was so small that the author could have left this out of the book completely.
It is a short read, an easy one, and as one reviewer mentioned, a good "weekend book". I am disappointed that the author spent the bulk of the bulk mumbling aloud about wanting to be happy and finding the right job and complaining about the callers that the impact of the calls themselves fell to the wayside. I would have appreciated more substance, less venting.
June 6, 2013
Answering 911 Life in the Hot Seat by Caroline Burau
Caroline Burau acknowledges the general public's fascination with her job. As a 911 dispatcher she fields calls from people in danger as well dangerous people. We follow her from her first day on the job, to on-the-job training, through her rotation at multiple stations within the call center.
I empathized with her back story. She had been through drug addiction and come out on the other side. I also thought that being a 911 operator might be the worst job for a recovering addict in regards to being exposed to triggers on a daily basis. But I was optimistic, I was cheering her on.
The 911 calls themselves are the most fascinating. I suppose it is my voyeuristic nature. However, I quickly became annoyed at Burau's attitude towards her newly adopted stepdaughter. Burau doesn't express many motherly concerns but then makes comments like an exasperated mother. She brushes her stepdaughter off because she doesn't make trouble and gets good grades, but she is annoyed that she talks too much. This insight into Burau's nature was the first to rub me the wrong way.
Read my full review here: http://www.ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.c...
September 23, 2009
I snagged this one while I was working a desk shift because the chair on the cover looked soooo comfortable... turns out, this slim little memoir was really engaging and engrossing! Caroline's transition from crack smoking, abused girlfriend to 911 dispatcher is bittersweet: just as she gains mastery over the hectic, oppressive atmosphere of the call center (just when DO you think they get time to vacuum a place that's occupied 24/7?) she's beginning to doubt whether she can do this job for 30 years like Kristen, Queen of the Main Line. She becomes jaded because of the constant exposure to crisis & misfortune, but also discovers that her detachment has given her an inner strength she didn't know was possible. The push/pull of "life in the hot seat" will keep readers glued to the page for more than just voyeuristic thrills. Give this one to high schoolers thinking about possible careers, or anyone who wants a glimpse into the inner workings of an extreme job.
March 21, 2016
"I quickly realize that White Bear Lake PD is every bit as short-staffed, harried, backstabbing, and marred by political, bureaucratic bullshit as the sheriff's office was. I feel at home immediately."
I finished this in one sitting. I love reading memoirs about jobs that I am most likely not capable of doing: police officer, EMT, doctor, and now 911 dispatcher. Also, it was heartening to read that the author, a former teenage runaway who smoked crack and had an abusive boyfriend, was able to get sober, go to college, and create a good life for herself.
Oh, and if you are a weed dealer in an area where weed is not legal, do not get the vanity license plate POTMAN.
I finished this in one sitting. I love reading memoirs about jobs that I am most likely not capable of doing: police officer, EMT, doctor, and now 911 dispatcher. Also, it was heartening to read that the author, a former teenage runaway who smoked crack and had an abusive boyfriend, was able to get sober, go to college, and create a good life for herself.
Oh, and if you are a weed dealer in an area where weed is not legal, do not get the vanity license plate POTMAN.
February 26, 2009
I was intrigued by this book because I think being a 911 dispatcher is one of the hardest /most stressful jobs one can have. Just thinking about it is almost enough to give me a panic attack. I really wanted to know what being a dispatcher is like. What I found out is that this dispatcher can’t write. I wish she had gotten someone to help her or ghost write or something because even if it really happened I don’t need to know every time she ran to the bathroom to cry because she just doesn’t know if she can handle it any more. Once is effective- 15 times is boring. Boring and enraging!
June 30, 2012
As a 911 dispatcher myself, this book was both encouraging and disheartening. It's nice to know that SOMEONE out there understands what I go through everyday, but it's also depressing to find that, apparently, the job is the same wherever you do it. Not the author's fault, of course! Some of the calls described were all too familiar, some over-dramatic, and I will admit that periodically, I found myself just not liking the author at all. As a whole, definitely worth my time, though, and nice to read someone else's perspective on the job I love.
September 24, 2012
Quite amazing, a vivid description of life on the other end of that telephone line. The plot is fast paced, the prose is witty, and while the book makes light of dark subjects, it also Elaine why, and explains why emergency workers must adopt that attitude, or face emotional breakdown. Highly recommended for anyone in emergency services, or anyone with an appreciation for the men and women who devote their lives to keeping the rest of us safe.
September 24, 2016
This book hit the nail on the head on what it is like to be a 911 Dispatcher. I laughed out loud when she was going through all the different stations and jurisdictions on who responds to what and when. That is EXACTLY how it is. It captured the human side of our profession. What we hear, how we think, how we listen to all that we hear and then go home at the end of the shift. I cannot wait to read her second book.
March 13, 2012
I was extremely excited to read this book, but equally disappointed when I finished. I read this book in an effort to understand why every time I call 911, the dispatcher sounds as if they don't care. Thankfully, that question was answered by the time I finished. But I was just so /bored/ by the end of the book. Too much talk about bathrooms and her coworkers. Meh.
September 15, 2013
Because I share this occupation I was immediately able to relate to the author and share the "Dispatch World." An easy read and one that didn't bore me for a minute. I've also encouraged co-workers as well as police officer friends to read as it's a true glance at the world of emergency dispatching.
February 6, 2013
The best and only book of its kind I have ever seen. I teach a high school dispatcher preparation course and I read an excerpt from this book once a week. The kids love it, it is "real" and they love Caroline's wry humor and honesty.
January 17, 2016
“Caroline Burau is a 911 operator. She uses humor and a straight forward approach in giving you a look into the life of a 911 operator. Some of these short stories are very funny, some are very disturbing and some are heartbreaking. ”
June 24, 2008
A must read for anyone who has done this. She is very realistic in her description of life as a 911 dispatcher and very honest about her life.
May 17, 2017
This is a fun read. Never forget 911 operators are indeed the first first responders in an emergency. They deserve a lot more. A lot more.
April 15, 2020
[3,5 stars] I like it when other people allow me a glimpse into theirs lives and jobs. This is a rather thin book and a fast one to read. Although centered around the job as a dispatchers the author also shared a lot of her live before and about her family. So while I would have preferred more stories about answering 911 I still liked the book.
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