Oxygen’s 911 Crisis Center Shows The Very Human Side Of Being A 911 Dispatcher

It really is a matter of life and death. Photo courtesy of Distractify.

Dispatchers are unsung heroes who are a very different breed of healthcare worker. It’s not just about taking a call and sending out the appropriate agency, it’s also about what happens in the in-between that can save a life, stop a crime, or simply be a voice of stability for someone in crisis waiting for help to arrive. The new series on Oxygen takes viewers behind the scenes to listen in on real calls, watch how responders handle each new situation that comes through, and learn just how difficult (and at times rewarding) being a dispatcher really is.

The calls (and outcomes) are as varied as the team itself. Some are terrifying, some are heartbreaking, and some are just plain ridiculous but every one of them is treated with the same level of care and calm critical to keeping things grounded. One call might be a fire, the next a domestic followed up by a call that involves a dispatcher teaching someone how to perform CPR on their infant child who has stopped breathing. While this is technically a reality show (and there’s definitely a wee bit of drama thrown in) 911 Crisis Center does a great job of showing audiences what happens on the other end of the line when an emergency call is made and how it intimately affects both the dispatcher and the individual in need.

911 Crisis Center premieres Saturday, November 6th at 9/8c.

The official teaser trailer can be seen here