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Tucson 9-1-1: Do the Right Thing!
"...the work reads like an unfiltered report.... the “moral energy” that fueled him is believable; he only wanted the best for the Tucson center,... An eye-opening, true-life account of the inner workings of an understaffed critical public resource." ~Kirkus Reviews
"★★★★ Tucson 9-1-1: Do The Right Thing! is a deeply personal, sometimes fiery, and always passionate insider account of the rise and fall of Tucson’s emergency communications center.... What struck me most about LaFond’s writing is the raw, unfiltered honesty. He writes like a man who has nothing left to lose, and that lends a gravity to every page.... It’s a whistleblower’s war story written with both heart and bite.... Tucson 9-1-1: Do The Right Thing! is a stirring read." ~Literary Titans Reviews
When I was an Emergency 9-1-1 Operator, I would infrequently answer calls from very young toddlers, three or even a bit younger. Usually, they would be playing on the phone, but we were trained to be sure that there was no emergency. Sometimes, they did have an emergency. On one occasion, I asked the child to let me talk to their mother, and the child said happily that their mother was there. I asked again if I could talk to her, but the child said she was asleep. Turned out that the mother was unconscious on the bathroom floor. Answering the phone promptly is the most important thing that we did, and now the Tucson Public Safety Communications Department cannot do it.
Answering the calls gave me a human perspective on what we did. I was excited and proud, and I wanted to understand it. However, other people did not have that perspective. Observers did not think we did much at all. They did not see that we were tremendously successful while other 9-1-1 centers were failing. "9-1-1 is a joke in your town." (Public Enemy, 1990).
Unfortunately, some of those observers became the managers. Their ruthless and obstinate ignorance attacked the 9-1-1 service for Tucson, but I opposed them through every possible means available to me. I tried to educate the managers, and I tried to educate the elected officials. I exposed managers' lies and bullying. I faced their retaliation, but I could not be silent.
People were dying, silently and invisibly. That's what happens when 9-1-1 does not answer the call and send help promptly. People die quietly. Who will speak out for them?
"★★★★ Tucson 9-1-1: Do The Right Thing! is a deeply personal, sometimes fiery, and always passionate insider account of the rise and fall of Tucson’s emergency communications center.... What struck me most about LaFond’s writing is the raw, unfiltered honesty. He writes like a man who has nothing left to lose, and that lends a gravity to every page.... It’s a whistleblower’s war story written with both heart and bite.... Tucson 9-1-1: Do The Right Thing! is a stirring read." ~Literary Titans Reviews
When I was an Emergency 9-1-1 Operator, I would infrequently answer calls from very young toddlers, three or even a bit younger. Usually, they would be playing on the phone, but we were trained to be sure that there was no emergency. Sometimes, they did have an emergency. On one occasion, I asked the child to let me talk to their mother, and the child said happily that their mother was there. I asked again if I could talk to her, but the child said she was asleep. Turned out that the mother was unconscious on the bathroom floor. Answering the phone promptly is the most important thing that we did, and now the Tucson Public Safety Communications Department cannot do it.
Answering the calls gave me a human perspective on what we did. I was excited and proud, and I wanted to understand it. However, other people did not have that perspective. Observers did not think we did much at all. They did not see that we were tremendously successful while other 9-1-1 centers were failing. "9-1-1 is a joke in your town." (Public Enemy, 1990).
Unfortunately, some of those observers became the managers. Their ruthless and obstinate ignorance attacked the 9-1-1 service for Tucson, but I opposed them through every possible means available to me. I tried to educate the managers, and I tried to educate the elected officials. I exposed managers' lies and bullying. I faced their retaliation, but I could not be silent.
People were dying, silently and invisibly. That's what happens when 9-1-1 does not answer the call and send help promptly. People die quietly. Who will speak out for them?
542 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 26, 2025
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May 14, 2025
Tucson 9-1-1: Do The Right Thing! is a deeply personal, sometimes fiery, and always passionate insider account of the rise and fall of Tucson’s emergency communications center. Michael LaFond, a former 9-1-1 operator, brings readers behind the curtain of public safety communications to reveal the unsung heroes, complex personalities, bureaucratic missteps, and systemic flaws that shape how emergency calls are handled. The book recounts both the triumph—like the heroic response during the 2011 Tucson shooting—and the unraveling of a once-proud institution due to budget cuts, managerial changes, and disregard for public safety culture.
What struck me most about LaFond’s writing is the raw, unfiltered honesty. He writes like a man who has nothing left to lose, and that lends a gravity to every page. His admiration for figures like Louie Gonzales is touching—almost reverent. But when he turns his pen against those he sees as betraying the mission of public safety, it’s blistering. His style swings wildly from reflective to sarcastic to downright angry. That makes it a bit uneven, sure—but it also makes it real. This isn’t corporate PR. It’s a whistleblower’s war story written with both heart and bite.
At times, the story slows down to dive deep into the minutiae—office politics, scheduling policies, bureaucratic turf wars. There are long tangents that might lose readers unfamiliar with the workings of a 9-1-1 center. But maybe the tedium is part of the tragedy. Because LaFond’s central message is clear: it’s not flashy heroics but small, smart decisions made by dedicated people that save lives. When leadership forgets that, things fall apart fast.
Tucson 9-1-1: Do The Right Thing! is a stirring read. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in public service, emergency response, or organizational leadership. It's not a thriller, but it sure feels like one when you realize what’s at stake in every call. If you want a book that will challenge your assumptions and make you care about the people behind the phones, give this a read.
What struck me most about LaFond’s writing is the raw, unfiltered honesty. He writes like a man who has nothing left to lose, and that lends a gravity to every page. His admiration for figures like Louie Gonzales is touching—almost reverent. But when he turns his pen against those he sees as betraying the mission of public safety, it’s blistering. His style swings wildly from reflective to sarcastic to downright angry. That makes it a bit uneven, sure—but it also makes it real. This isn’t corporate PR. It’s a whistleblower’s war story written with both heart and bite.
At times, the story slows down to dive deep into the minutiae—office politics, scheduling policies, bureaucratic turf wars. There are long tangents that might lose readers unfamiliar with the workings of a 9-1-1 center. But maybe the tedium is part of the tragedy. Because LaFond’s central message is clear: it’s not flashy heroics but small, smart decisions made by dedicated people that save lives. When leadership forgets that, things fall apart fast.
Tucson 9-1-1: Do The Right Thing! is a stirring read. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in public service, emergency response, or organizational leadership. It's not a thriller, but it sure feels like one when you realize what’s at stake in every call. If you want a book that will challenge your assumptions and make you care about the people behind the phones, give this a read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review