Have you ever wondered about who is on the other end of the line when you dial 911? What does it take to be the calm in the storm when faced with emergencies? Author Caroline Burau answers these questions and more as she tells it like it is by sharing stories of life in the hot seat. On a daily basis, emergency dispatchers across the country alternate between periods of boredom and chaotic activity. As first responders, dispatchers must be prepared to handle anything from reports of theft to multiple car accidents to horrific shootings to delivering a baby.

While all jobs have challenges, life as an emergency dispatcher can require sacrifice and perseverance, grit and assertiveness. The call centers are open 24/7, including holidays, and shifts can vary. Burau discuss the challenges of learning a new job while raising a daughter as well. She is also very candid about her previous drug addiction and how that influenced her desire to help people.

Readers will feel as if they are along for the ride as they experience the highs and lows of a job that few people think about, but depend upon when they are in trouble.

The Bottom Line: Burau’s book is a fast-paced look at the complex job of being an emergency dispatcher. As a former journalist, Burau’s writing is brutally honest, easy to read, and sometimes humorous. The anecdotes provide an inside look at what it’s like to be in the hot seat with lives depending on you. Recommended for anyone considering a career in law enforcement and rescue work.

For the complete review including Book Club Notes, please visit the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )

I first saw this book here on Shelfari. As a former dispatcher,myself, I had to read it. Little did I know I could have written a book abt my experiences!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.It is a very fast read. Her experiences and thoughts mirrored my own. As others have said here,I had my doubts abt her crack habit past and getting a job in a sheriff's dept., but she had a very short period of the addiction and a short criminal record,so that paired with her honesty would be reason enough for the dept to consider hiring her.Honesty and straightforwardness go along way with police! I had many similar experiences on the job.Dispatchers and police all have those certain calls that are never forgotten. No amt of therapy will let it go.
I laughed out loud when she thought that someone should call 911 for an emergency and then had the self realization/terror that she WAS 911. I had that moment too!
Very good read.
I think everyone should read this book,it will give you a deep appreciation of what dispatchers go thru to get the help a complainant needs.
Every word and emotion is the truth! ( )

This was a really fast, mostly interesting read about a job that I've always been curious about the inner-workings of. I didn't really click with the author's writing voice but I loved the tenderness she wrote about her coworkers with. It's a good read if you're looking for information about what it's like to be a 911 dispatcher and not looking to read 200 pages of transcripts - like other books of its type. ( )

Being on the other end of the radio, I have utmost respect for dispatchers. They truly understand feeling helpless yet knowledgeable to be helpful. As a chaotic (or hilarious) situation unfolds in their earpiece, I am sure everyone of them desire to leave their tiny, dark room to assist the caller.

While this book had a few descriptions of these instances, Answering 911 spends more time discussing the job as a whole and being a single parent. It was well written and not unenjoyable. ( )

This memoir is a fascinating look into what it's like to be a 911 dispatcher. Burau's job is a difficult one, entailing long hours of boredom periodically interrupted by moments of intense stress and fear. As a dispatcher, she is many miles away from the scene of the crisis, yet she is living that crisis moment by moment with the caller. Sometimes, she never finds out the ultimate outcome of a 911 call. That's just part of the job. In addition to the stressful stories of armed robberies, suicides, and accidents are the humorous stories: a person calling to complain about their neighbor's clarinet practice, the woman who wanted the police to babysit her kids, and the person who got lost and called 911 for directions. This is an absorbing sneak peek into a job that most people don't know much about. ( )