Truly a matter of life or death.
Real-life 9-1-1 dispatchers let Oxygen reality TV cameras into their call center to capture the rush behind-the-scenes to save lives on the other end of a phone call. From children saying their father is not breathing, to a woman threatening to jump out of a window, these operators have to be on in a moment's notice.
"Being on a night shift, we generally get more violent calls," one officer explains in this exclusive first look at Oxygen's new series 911 Crisis Center, premiering Saturday, Nov. 6.
Another notes, "We are helping people in the worst moments of their lives," as her co-worker adds, "When we answer, it could be the difference between life and death."
The new fast-paced series shows the "inner workings of an emergency call center and the unsung heroes expertly handling real, high-stakes distress calls," the official series description states. "At the center, the responders' calm demeanor, quick thinking and ability to draw out essential information from callers in the midst of extreme situations is often the difference between life and death. From gut-wrenching to heartwarming, these very first responders hear it all over the course of a 12-hour shift."
911 Crisis Center works with the Chagrin Valley area emergency call center in Ohio to witness, as one dispatcher puts it, the officers "saving lives and taking names."
The ensemble cast ranges from team members with over 20 years of experiences to rookies who are just getting used to taking 9-1-1 calls. Cases range from stolen cars to medical emergencies to lost children or shots fired, and dispatchers are trained to instruct callers on how to stay calm while law enforcement is en route.
"The calls are real," the teaser promises, "and lives are on the line."
Of course, 911 Crisis Center also highlights the tight bond between the professional dispatchers, with birthday celebrations, inside jokes and their own superstitions.
Per the Oxygen statement, the members of the Chagrin Valley call center "try to heed the ever present warning to never, ever jinx a shift by saying things seem 'quiet.'"
With unexpected emergencies happening every minute, it seems the call center will always be in Crisis to some extent.
From Warner Brothers Unscripted Television, 911 Crisis Center is produced by Shed Media in association with Green Lakes Productions with Dan Peirson, Lisa Shannon and Adam Kassen serving as executive producers.
911 Crisis Center premieres Saturday, Nov. 6 at 9 p.m. on Oxygen.
(E! and Oxygen are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)