Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
dark
informative
fast-paced
I loved this read, super short a quick to the point. It takes a special human to be a 911 dispatcher.
informative
fast-paced
fast-paced
I absolutely loved this book. It all started because I attended a virtual conference and one of the presentations was on the new technology involved with the 911 dispatch industry and how it relates to GIS (my field, hence the conference). It was similar to what happened when I attended a funeral and got the sudden earn to know more about the funeral industry... all of a sudden I had a strong desire to know more about the 911 dispatch industry.
There are not many books out there about 911 dispatchers, so when I saw this one within my local library system I placed a request. However, by the time it got here, I almost did not read it. The desire had faded and I had so many other books come in at once.
I am SO glad that I finally decided to read it because it was just what I wanted. Just enough to let me understand a little bit what it is like for 911 dispatchers. It was also written in the perfect way- a bit funny at times, but serious when it needed to be.
I also really liked the short chapters. It made it perfect to squeeze in a bit of reading when I only had 5 minutes to spare here and there.
There are not many books out there about 911 dispatchers, so when I saw this one within my local library system I placed a request. However, by the time it got here, I almost did not read it. The desire had faded and I had so many other books come in at once.
I am SO glad that I finally decided to read it because it was just what I wanted. Just enough to let me understand a little bit what it is like for 911 dispatchers. It was also written in the perfect way- a bit funny at times, but serious when it needed to be.
I also really liked the short chapters. It made it perfect to squeeze in a bit of reading when I only had 5 minutes to spare here and there.
This is a memoir of a woman who is a 911 dispatcher. She talks about her life, her drug addiction, dropping out of school, and her search for a career or job that would work for her. She talks about the type of calls she handles as a dispatcher and the struggle she had in the beginning of her career in her confidence and not wondering what happened to the caller after the police arrived.
It is an interesting and quick read. It made me think about what a challenging position job this is to have, learning how to turn off your want to ask the why questions and just the facts as quickly as possible.
It is an interesting and quick read. It made me think about what a challenging position job this is to have, learning how to turn off your want to ask the why questions and just the facts as quickly as possible.
I really liked this book. First of all, it touched my heart that the setting is near White Bear Lake. I've been there and that place has a special meaning for me.
Moving on, I liked that in the first chapters we get a background of the author, her troubles with drugs, and the message that is never too late to come back from people that try to drag us down. In terms of her experience in 911, I think she tried to write politely about all situations. For example, when describing colleagues, she tells us about the negative aspects, but then brings a lot of good things about that person. It is a good way to be politically correct in a book, and also it is a good practice for life, to put the good things over the bad ones.
There are heartbreaking moments in this book, I am sure I wouldn't have been able to handle them in real life. That opened up my eyes about the hard work these people do. The message that sometimes we can't do anything against people's free will, is also a good reminder for everyday life.
Apart from the hard stories, there are many fun ones! I found myself smiling a lot while reading this book.
I'm not sure if I liked the ending of this book. I would have closed the book in a different way. But it was a really nice read, and I'm sure I'm going to read more titles of the author!
Moving on, I liked that in the first chapters we get a background of the author, her troubles with drugs, and the message that is never too late to come back from people that try to drag us down. In terms of her experience in 911, I think she tried to write politely about all situations. For example, when describing colleagues, she tells us about the negative aspects, but then brings a lot of good things about that person. It is a good way to be politically correct in a book, and also it is a good practice for life, to put the good things over the bad ones.
There are heartbreaking moments in this book, I am sure I wouldn't have been able to handle them in real life. That opened up my eyes about the hard work these people do. The message that sometimes we can't do anything against people's free will, is also a good reminder for everyday life.
Apart from the hard stories, there are many fun ones! I found myself smiling a lot while reading this book.
I'm not sure if I liked the ending of this book. I would have closed the book in a different way. But it was a really nice read, and I'm sure I'm going to read more titles of the author!
Overall, this book is a great narrative about the life of a dispatcher. The author’s center runs quite differently than mine, has (from what she describes) very different policy and procedure, is much smaller than my center, and the author herself has a very different history. Despite that, it’s still full of insight of our day to day jobs. Would definitely recommend to anyone curious about what exactly a 911 dispatcher does. I won’t lie, many of her thoughts, worries, and actions reflect my own in the world of dispatch.
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.
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.com/2013/01/answering-911-life-in-hot-seat.html