In this Book
Minnesota Historical Society Press

Tell Me Exactly What Happened: Dispatches from 911
Book
2016
Published by:
Minnesota Historical Society Press
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 Stayinâ 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
ISBN | 9781681340104 |
---|---|
Related ISBN(s) | 9781681340098 |
MARC Record | Download |
OCLC | 957683440 |
Pages | 192 |
Launched on MUSE | 2016-11-04 |
Language | English |
Open Access | No |