Just a few years ago, Nadia Abass-Madden was working her decades-long job as a 911 operator. Today, she’s using her longtime career to inform her writing on Fox’s procedural drama, 9-1-1. She saw her name in the credits for the first time on March 30.

Abass-Madden of Woodland Hills was hired as a writer on the show in 2019 by Tim Minear, one of its creators. But like most fabulous journeys, she found herself here after a culmination of hard work, chance and a little luck.

While studying radio, TV and film at California State University, Fullerton, Abass-Madden supported herself by working as a 911 operator. She dreamed of being a screenwriter after taking a class. Still, once she graduated she never pursued her passion, remaining in the emergency response field while dabbling in writing on the side.

But in 2012, that all changed: Abass-Madden began pursuing her writing career, as she says, full throttle.

“I felt I owed it to myself to pursue writing,” she said.

“Life is too short.”

In 2018, after becoming a semifinalist and finalist in numerous competitions for her pilot Tongs of Chinatown, Abass-Madden decided to enter the script into the Final Draft Big Break Contest®. This decision would ultimately lead to life-changing events that she could have never predicted.

After months of uncertainty, in December 2018 Abass-Madden discovered she had won Big Break in the TV Diversity category — a feat that left her encouraged and confident to pursue other writing competitions and fellowships. In early 2019 she decided to apply for TV fellowships; she wrote a spec for Fox’s 9-1-1, believing it would pair well with her admirable 20-year career as an emergency dispatcher.

Meanwhile, Abass-Madden received numerous prizes because of her Big Break win, including the opportunity to sit in on a teleseminar hosted by TV and career consultant Jen Grisanti.

“Another teleseminar attendee learned that I was writing a spec for 9-1-1, that I was a former 911 dispatcher, married to a homicide captain and that I had just won Final Draft,” Abass-Madden said.

“Along with a couple of industry recommendation letters, this wonderful classmate of mine put me in touch with the showrunner of 9-1-1.”

Originally, Abass-Madden was supposed to interview for a research position with the show. But when she met with Minear, she mentioned the spec she’d written for the TV fellowship.

“This was risky,” Abass-Madden explained.

“If he didn’t like my idea, it would not be the best first impression of me as a writer. I pitched him the storyline, other details and answered questions.”

But what happened can only be described as an excitingly monumental moment.

“He said he wanted to buy my spec as a freelance episode,” Abass-Madden said.

“I remember pinching my arm right in front of him.”

The story gets even better.

After offering to buy Abass-Madden’s spec, Minear and the 9-1-1 team turned it into a two-parter that Abass-Madden co-wrote with two writers. Following that, she officially got hired as a staff writer — something she could have only dreamed of a few years ago.

“I posted three years prior on my Facebook page about a new show coming to Fox called 9-1-1 and how … I can dream,” Abass-Madden said.

“I’m still pinching myself. I am eternally grateful to that classmate and the entire experience.”

Abass-Madden’s second episode, “The Taking of Dispatch 9-1-1” is airing Monday, April 13.