Book Review – Pride of the Hills: A Vollie’s Memoir

When you read the name Dave Konig some of you might recognize it, some of you may not. Dave is an EMS provider in New York who blogs about EMS and social media on his page, the social medic. In addition he has published a few books about EMS work.

Pride of the Hills by Dave Konig

Pride of the Hills was released just before Christmas last year. Sorry I am a bit late in reading it, but that is life. Actually I was not aware Dave had put this book out until EMS week, last month, and he put all his books on sale. I had other books on my Kindle waiting to be read so it took me time to start this one. Now I wish I had read this book sooner.

The book starts off with some poignant stories of both on-duty and off-duty calls Dave took. With out spoiling anything these stories deal with pulse-less non-breathers (PNB) calls and conducting CPR. Anyone who has responded to a 911 call for PNB will relate to his descriptions. For a civilian his would serve as a eye opener into the reality of being an EMT.

What I found fascinating was the general history of EMS that Dave worked into the early narrative. As a police officer I have a general understanding of the history of the NYPD and overall development of the police profession. Learning about how EMS in NYC came about and the development of the private EMS systems that operate in tandem with FDNY was an unexpected bonus in this book. Also some of the nuances of how their dispatching system works compared with how dispatch in my community works.

Looking back on my life it is easy to chuckle when thinking about how I got where I am today career wise. So reading someone else’s journey is an affirmation that not everyone is perfect on his or her first day. Heck most of us have been at it for decades now and still are not perfect. Not to mention we don’t always end up in the job we dreamed up. Fire/Arson investigations was never my goal in life, but I am happy my career path got me here. Same with Dave Konig, he never set out for a career in EMS, but that was the path he ended up sticking with. As you read the stories he tells it is easy to figure out why he kept on the path as a career medic.

Anyone looking for a good read I recommend checking this book out. Also for anyone in school thinking about getting into EMS this should be one of the books you read before interviewing for your first job.

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About the author

RJ Beam

I am an author and Wisconsin Law Enforcement professional. My Web sites are RescueHumor.com and PremeditatedFiction.com. You can find my novel Fire Cop at your favorite bookstores.