KPBS Midday Edition

Retired San Diego 911 Operator Writes About Handling Emergencies, Large And Small

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Marissa Cabrera / News Producer, KPBS Midday Edition

Published April 7, 2014 at 8:30 AM PDT

This story was published more than 10 years ago.

Retired San Diego 911 Operator Writes About Handling Emergencies In Her Book

Retired San Diego 911 Operator Writes About Handling Emergencies, Large And Small

GUESTLucia Tulumello, Author, 9-1-1 What's Your Emergency?

Thanks to smart phones and Caller ID, when you pick up a phone these days, you usually know who's calling you.

But for 19 years, working with the San Diego Police Department, Lucia Tulumello never knew who was on the other end of the line or what they needed, or even if they'd be alive by the end of the call.

Tulumello worked as a 911 dispatcher, one of the usually unsung heroes of our public safety system.

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She's compiled a number of her scariest, saddest, and strangest calls in a new book called "9-1-1 What Is Your Emergency?".

Today, on KPBS Midday Edition Tulumello shares some of the most memorable stories and learn what kept her answering emergency calls for nearly two decades.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Marissa Cabrera

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Marissa Cabrera worked as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and had previously served as a Newscast Producer for KPBS' Morning Edition. Before joining KPBS she reported on Vatican affairs, social, and cultural issues in Rome, Italy. She also contributed to a documentary on sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Marissa has worked as a multimedia journalist at various news stations in San Diego and Monterey as well as Columbia, Missouri. Marissa graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

See stories by Marissa Cabrera