John Doolittle, a retired volunteer member of the National Ski Patrol, has released "Responding to Save Others: A Story of Duty, Sacrifice, and Courage," a work of fiction set in the Lake Tahoe basin during a massive winter storm. The novel follows a team of volunteer ski patrollers as they respond to a series of escalating emergencies, including a chairlift evacuation, a search for two missing children, and the extended multi-day rescue effort that follows. More than an adventure story, the book is a celebration of service, resilience, and the human spirit. Its publication matters because it brings to a broad readership the rarely seen realities of volunteer rescue work, which relies on trained civilians who balance ordinary lives with extraordinary responsibilities.
The narrative draws on Doolittle's 30 years as a volunteer member of the National Ski Patrol, during which he patrolled at a resort in the Lake Tahoe basin from 1979 to 2008. While the storm and characters depicted in the book are fictional, the author has stated that the events reflect the range of incidents, personalities, and working conditions he encountered over his patrol career. The book's title is drawn from a motto Doolittle developed during his years patrolling. That grounding in lived experience gives the novel unusual authenticity and offers readers an inside view of the training, procedures, and teamwork involved in mountain search-and-rescue operations.
The National Ski Patrol was founded in 1938 by Charles Minot "Minnie" Dole and today comprises more than 30,000 members across over 640 patrols worldwide. Doolittle's novel arrives at a time when volunteer emergency responders face growing demands, from severe weather events to backcountry accidents, and when public understanding of their role can influence recruitment, funding, and safety policy. By dramatizing the split-second decisions and sustained commitment required in a major storm response, the book highlights the human infrastructure that supports winter recreation across mountain regions.
"Responding to Save Others" is Doolittle's second book. His first, "Khoda Hafez…Goodbye Iran," now in its second edition, is a nonfiction account of his family's move to Tehran in 1978, where he witnessed the onset of the Iranian Revolution and the final months of the Shah's rule. That earlier work established Doolittle as a writer drawn to pivotal moments of duty and upheaval, themes that carry into his new novel. Readers seeking more information can visit https://johndoolittlebook.com/, and the book is published by Prime Publishing Labs.
John Doolittle lives in Northern California with his wife, Nora. He holds a degree in economics and a master's degree in finance. He retired as a senior executive from Pacific Bell/SBC and as a colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve. John is a member of the National Ski Patrol; though now retired from active patrolling, he served for 30 years and was recognized with the Distinguished Service Award and a National Appointment. John and Nora both graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. They have traveled to more than 45 countries and enjoy bridge, golf, and skiing. They have two married children with families of their own, one in Florida and the other in California.
For audiences accustomed to fictionalized rescues, Doolittle's novel offers a corrective: the drama is invented, but the duty, sacrifice, and courage are not. The book's release therefore serves as both entertainment and a reminder of the volunteers who respond when others are in danger, often in conditions that test the limits of training and endurance. Its implications extend beyond the page, inviting readers to consider the value of volunteer emergency services and the stories that sustain them.
