When he found 14-year-old Heather Coles-Bayes impaled with a railing spike through her throat, Ilkley pizza-shop boss Danito Safa did exactly what needed to be done.

He kept his head, dialled the emergency services on his mobile phone and followed instructions given to him by medical experts to keep the teenager's head and body straight while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. Mr Safa then talked to Heather to keep her calm during the subsequent two-hour rescue operation when she was cut free.

It was a scenario that could have come from the real-life TV series 999. Heather is now recovering after an accident which could have had far more serious consequences if the wrong action had been taken.

And now there are moves afoot to have Mr Safa nominated for an award. Heather's father wants recognition for his quick-thinking and prompt action. And the community safety officer for Keighley division, Sergeant Alan Gee, said "anyone who has acted in this manner is deserving of some recognition."

Most people surely will agree. Mr Safa did just what needed to be done. Most of us would hope to have done just the same in similar circumstances. Whether we would have done, though, we will probably never know.

So in a world in which so many people make their mark for doing the wrong thing, it would be nice to see Mr Safa honoured in some way for getting it right. A St John Ambulance commendation for his action would perhaps be a fitting way of recognising and rewarding his actions.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.