I REFER to comments made by Colin Mortimer regarding ambulance drivers (HAS, June 11).

I am a retired advanced ambulance technician and worked for Durham County Ambulance Service and the North-East Ambulance Service for 32 years. I find his comments very offensive and, I believe, so would many of my colleagues.

Does Mr Mortimer have any experience in driving vehicles of this size and type at low speed, never mind high speed, to an incident where someone is experiencing, or witnessing, a potential life-threatening situation?

Such a situation requires a rapid response, or other emergency service vehicle, to travel at high speed through and around traffic.

Even with blue lights flashing and sirens wailing vehicles travelling to incidents are still overtaken.

With regards to his comments about “foolhardy stunts” he sees executed, could this be as a result of inconsiderate people not paying attention to what is going on around them, thus causing the ambulance driver to swerve to avoid collisions.

Red lights are treated with caution. Should an ambulance go through a red light and an accident occur then the driver may face prosecution.

I don’t know of any emergency vehicle drivers with a “gung-ho attitude”. They are concentrating on what is going on in front and around them.

The old adage “it’s better to arrive safe than not at all” is what all emergency service personnel want but, if it’s your loved one that is in a life threatening situation then I am sure your attitude would change.

Emergency service personnel have families, too, and, by doing this type of work, some never return home at all.

Dennis Smith, Coxhoe.