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
224: Naseem was run over 3 times [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:11
If you have children, you’ve probably thought at some point, “Am I a good parent?” It’s natural to question our own abilities sometimes. Do I spend enough time with my kids? Do they feel safe? Do they feel loved? Are the…
TQ42: What crazy thing have you seen happen at a wedding? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:12
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 crazy thing have you seen…
223: Ross was shot while sleeping [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:37:08
In an ideal world, children should be able to trust their parents. After all, it’s the grown-ups in the family who are responsible for the kids. No child should ever have to worry about safety when mom and dad are around…
222: Scott was locked up in a foreign jail [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:43:19
As human beings, we are often very protective of our own sense of personal justice – and injustice. When I was a child, I had a teacher who – to me – seemed very unfair. If one of the kids in the class did something like…
TQ41: What movie traumatized you as a kid? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:33
Every 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 movie traumatized you as a kid?…
STAS 5: Amanda Eller [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:15
Amanda just wanted to go for a short trail run. Life had something else in store for her. Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That…
TQ40: What did you throw away that you wish you had kept? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:04
Every 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 did you throw away that you wis…
220: Dan is a pre-prison consultant [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:42:38
There was a time in his life when Dan was in a pretty difficult situation. He was facing something that most people don’t ever have to go through. Even though he was not a violent person, and he certainly was not any kin…
219: Maggie saved her dog [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:50
When you live up north, where the winters are really cold, one of the best times of the year is the day when you feel spring coming. That first hint of warmer temperatures. With the time change, there’s longer sunlight a…
TQ39: What's the most amazing coincidence you've experienced? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:51
Every 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 the most amazing coincidence…