221: Brandon is a 911 dispatcher

221: Brandon is a 911 dispatcher

Author: Scott Johnson & Glassbox Media. June 27, 2025 Duration: 1:15:29
What do heart attacks, car accidents, and murder usually have in common? Most of the time, when any of these things happen, someone calls 911.   It’s one of the most reliable things we have – whenever there’s any kind of emergency, here in the US, we know we can just pick up any phone and dial 911 and get help. Even if it’s a phone that has no service.   This is an episode where I talk with someone who has an unusual job. My guest today is Brandon, and he’s been a 911 dispatcher in Nashville, Tennessee for 25 years. After taking emergency calls for all that time, he’s heard just about everything. And today we’ll get the inside scoop on what this job is really like.   Also, a content warning – one of the things discussed during our conversation is when calls come in from people who are suicidal.   So please, enjoy my conversation with Brandon.   If you’d like to contact Brandon or check out his podcast: https://musiccity911.com/   Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/221   Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.   Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)   Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.   Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app   Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase.   Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.   Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT   Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!   Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a moment in many lives when everything changes in an instant-a sudden encounter, a split-second decision, a catastrophic event. What Was That Like-True Stories. Real People. is built entirely around those moments. Host Scott Johnson, alongside Meredith Hackwith Edwards, steps back to let people narrate their own extraordinary experiences in their own words. This isn’t a narrated documentary or a dramatized re-enactment; it’s raw, first-person testimony. You’ll hear the intricate details of surviving a grizzly bear attack, the chilling silence after an engine fails mid-flight, or the profound disorientation of being caught in a public tragedy. Each conversation delves deep, not just into the event itself, but into the emotional and psychological journey that followed. The focus is on the human spirit’s resilience, exploring how individuals process trauma, find courage they never knew they had, and ultimately rebuild. This podcast sits at a compelling intersection of personal journal, societal study, and true human drama, offering an intimate window into realities most of us can scarcely imagine. By listening, you’re granted a privileged seat at a kitchen table conversation where someone is finally ready to share the full, unvarnished truth of what they endured and how it shaped them.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.
Podcast Episodes
238: Monica's unexpected wake-up [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:57
Monica was divorced, and now a single mom with two little kids. She wasn’t looking for a relationship. Kevin was a nice guy, and he’d never been married. When they first met, there was a chemistry between them, but Monic…
237: Mariela's pregnancy got complicated [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:07
There’s really something pretty amazing about giving birth. I mean, you are actually using your body to grow a whole new human, and then this new person comes into the world, and your whole life changes. For many people,…
TQ51: What song always brings back a particular memory? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:26
Every other Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What song always brings back a…
STAS - A Piece of Steak [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:46
Scott reads A Piece of Steak, by Jack London Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free:…
236: Hannah jumped into the lake [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:42
Sometimes it can be pretty amazing how one small decision can have a huge impact. Mike Jaffe knows about that. Mike was usually on his way to work in the morning when his wife, Sabrina, woke up their one year old daughte…
TQ50: What's your favorite smell? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:22
Every other Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What’s your favorite smell? Li…
235: Jen was held up at work [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:20
A lot of weird things can happen when you work in a retail store. You can ask anyone who’s worked retail for a while, and they will have some stories. My daughter worked at a popular clothing store for a while here in Fl…
Listen Now: Against The Odds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:27
Humans are resilient. In our toughest moments, we will fight, we will struggle, and we will triumph...often against the odds. In this immersive series from Wondery, host-adventurers Mike Corey and Cassie De Pecol will sh…
234: Tessi was raped in the rain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:27:02
When you meet someone for the first time, do you trust them by default? I like to think that I just assume the best of a stranger, until they prove they aren’t worthy of my trust. But that can be dangerous in some cases.…