Lives on the Line: Stories from America's First-First Responders

As 911 telecommunicators, we are often asked, what is your craziest 911 story? We finally wrote them down.

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Lea Harms and Emma Lee, sisters with eighteen years of combined experience in emergency services, offer a thrilling glimpse inside a 911 call center. Who are the heroes triaging the desperate calls for help? From drug overdoses, murder, and crimes of passion to swift-water rescues, car chases, and medical emergencies, the situations 911 telecommunicators navigate daily require quick thinking, courage, and (very often) a dark sense of humor. Lives on the Line takes readers behind the curtain to witness the intensity, victories, grief, and antics of emergency services, illustrating how the brave men and women in dispatch centers across the country represent America's First-First Responders.

Emma Lee was born and raised in Colorado. She is a current 911 telecommunication supervisor with over nine years of service. She has a bachelor's degree in clinical exercise science and a minor in sports psychology. She resides in the Northern Colorado region and is also a business owner. She is married to her best friend, and they have one son, who keeps her busy with school activities and sports. Emma's perfect day includes hitting the gym, hiking with her adventure dogs, and ending the day with a home-cooked meal joined by family and friends. If Emma could travel the world with her family forever, she would.

Lea Harms is a Colorado native, author, speaker, and retired 911 telecommunicator. Armed with her master's degree in communication studies, her work passions include project management and adult learning during dynamic changes. She now resides in Texas with her husband, two children, and loyal dogs. After working graveyard shifts for years, her biggest accomplishment these days is kissing her two sleeping babies before bed every night. In a busy season of mom duties, a perfect day involves swimming in the family pool, cruising to grandma's house blasting music, and ending the night cuddled on couches watching a movie. When this season changes, she hopes to return to her regularly scheduled programming, which includes traveling the world, watching any theatre production, and kicking butt on American Tough Mudder courses.

Emma Lee was born and raised in Colorado. She is a current 911 telecommunication supervisor with over nine years of service. She has a bachelor's degree in clinical exercise science and a minor in sports psychology. She resides in the Northern Colorado region, where she is also a business owner. She is married to her best friend, and they have one son, who keeps her busy with school activities and sports. Emma's perfect day includes hitting the gym, going on a hike with her adventure dogs, and ending the day with a home-cooked meal joined by family and friends. If Emma could travel the world with her family forever, she would.