EVERY time they respond to a 999 call, the emergency services face a difficult balancing act. They must respond safely but at speed: seconds matter in a life or death situation.

North Yorkshire Fire Brigade is right to treat seriously the allegation that an engine drove along Coney Street in York at inappropriately high speed. This daytime footstreet remains crowded with pedestrians in the evening.

If there are lessons about the best way to negotiate it safely, firefighters, who are motivated by the need to