In this Book

Minnesota Historical Society Press

Tell Me Exactly What Happened: Dispatches from 911

Book
by Caroline Burau
2016
summary
I’ve helped deliver two babies. I’ve listened to countless child death scenes. I’ve helped save lives. I’ve listened to many more of them just slip away. I’ve watched Saturday Night Live dozens of times, but never once without interruption, and mostly on mute. I’ve depended far too heavily on coffee and Benadryl. I’ve worked with some of the finest, funniest, most caring jerks who’ve ever lived. In her new book, veteran 911 operator Caroline Burau shares her on- the- job experiences at both a single- person call center (complicated by a public walk- up window) and a ground and air ambulance service. Whatever the position, the challenges for a dispatcher never end. Tragedy, boredom, and mind- bending weirdness are constant companions, as her stories— some funny, some odd, some sad— show. A “broken penis,” a case of domestic violence at the walk- up window, a tornado striking a mile away— Caroline Burau handles them all with efficiency, empathy, and humor. But the job is not an easy one. On top of dealing with life-and-death situations every day, Burau is shaken by the suicide of a colleague. She battles stress and burnout, knowing that she is truly helping people. She also realizes that no matter how long she is in the hot seat, listening, waiting, and answering 911, she cannot help everyone. Tell Me Exactly What Happened is one woman’s memoir, but it is also a welcome companion for anyone who has needed relief from a stressful job.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page, Copyright, Epigraphs

pp. i-vi

Contents

pp. vii-viii

Introduction

pp. 1-4

1 Insomnia

pp. 5-10

2 Small-Town Dispatcher

pp. 11-18

3 Somebody in Charge

pp. 19-27

4 Permission to Pee Denied

pp. 28-33

5 A Whiff of Ammonia

pp. 34-40

6 Regarding a Death

pp. 41-48

7 Monkeys on Typewriters

pp. 49-54

8 Cops

pp. 55-60

9 Missing

pp. 61-65

10 Tell Me Exactly What Happened

pp. 66-70

11 Starting Over

pp. 71-73

12 My People

pp. 74-79

13 Guns in the House

pp. 80-82

14 Doctor Phil Can Kiss My Hot Seat

pp. 83-91

15 Souls on Board

pp. 92-99

16 Silence

pp. 100-102

17 Baby in a Pond

pp. 103-108

18 The Dispatch Diet

pp. 109-113

19 Open Mic Night

pp. 114-117

20 Mothers

pp. 118-126

21 The Call

pp. 127-131

22 Active Shooter

pp. 132-135

23 Communications

pp. 136-141

24 Stella

pp. 142-146

25 Stayin’ Alive

pp. 147-153

26 Missing Things

pp. 154-158

27 Jurassic Park

pp. 159-162

28 Babies

pp. 163-168

29 Gottaminute

pp. 169-173

30 Leaving 911

pp. 174-178

31 The Last Day

pp. 179-182

Acknowledgments

pp. 183-184

Back Cover

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