Ambulance volunteer sacked for speeding during an emergency call-out in Oxford can return to saving lives after public outcry Dedicated Godfrey Smith was sacked for driving 33mph in 20mph zone Volunteer first responder had been attending an urgent call in Oxford Hundreds signed petition calling for 64-year-old to be reinstated Mr Smith will now be able to return work following reassessment South Central Ambulance Service boss tells him 'overwhelming response' taken into account A dedicated ambulance volunteer sacked for breaking the speed limit during an emergency call-out has been given a reprieve after an 'overwhelming response' from shocked members of the public. Godfrey Smith lost his post as a 'first responder' after ambulance bosses examined his sat-nav and discovered that he had driven at 33mph in a 20mph zone while on his way to save a man's life. News of Mr Smith's dismissal provoked an outcry from shocked members of his community, with hundreds signing petitions demanding that he be reinstated. Reprieve: Volunteer ambulance driver Godfrey Smith has been given a second chance after he was sacked for speeding on an emergency call-out in Oxford Rethink: Mr Smith, 64, will be allowed to return to his role as a driver as long as he passes a reassessment The decision has now been overturned, with 64-year-old Mr Smith being told that he will instead undergo retraining, which will pave the way for him to return to his unpaid role. Mr Smith has expressed his joy at being offered his second chance, and said he can not wait to get back to the role, as long as he passes his retest. Although Mr Smith, who had volunteered for the service for 15 years before he was dismissed in July, drove a marked ambulance, as a first responder he did not have the same rights to break road laws as fully-fledged ambulance drivers. Accepting that he had made an error in driving his ambulance Land Rover too fast he has called on bosses at South Central Ambulance Service to re-educate other volunteer responders so that others do not make the same mistake in breaking the speed limit. 'I've never said I didn't do anything wrong,' Mr Smith told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. It is absolutely right that I should have a retest. Sadness: Mr Smith had described his sacking in September as 'soul destroying' and said that it left him feeling as though his 'heart had been ripped out' A spokesman for South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that Mr Smith would be reassessed. Mr Smith had described his sacking in September as 'soul destroying' and said that it left him feeling as though his 'heart had been ripped out'. He was called by controllers on July 23 and sent to the St Clement's area of Oxford to give emergency treatment to a man who had collapsed with breathing problems. He jumped into his marked South Central Ambulance Service Land Rover to rush to the address, however, following a complaint, he was dismissed for "breaching road traffic law." Bosses who investigated the incident found data on Mr Smith's satellite navigation system which showed he was travelling at 13mph faster than he should have done down a high street. He was also criticised for going to the right of a "keep left" bollard. Dismissal: Although Mr Smith drove a marked ambulance, as a first responder he did not have the same rights to break road laws as fully-fledged ambulance drivers Support: Members of the public rushed to support Mr Smith after his dismissal, and more than 1,500 people signed a petition calling for his reinstatement However, Mr Smith said the sat-nav did not pick up that the road was a new 20mph zone and was still showing a 30mph limit, and that he drove around the bollard to get past traffic. He said that had he realised he would not have broken the speed limit. Mr Smith usually served in the area surrounding his home in Faringdon, Oxfordshire, but had agreed to work in the centre of Oxford because the professional crews in the city were overstretched. Members of the public were quick to support Mr Smith after his dismissal, and more than 1,500 people, many of them from Faringdon signed a petition calling for his reinstatement. Mr Smith was told on Wednesday that SCAS had rethought its decision at a meeting with chief executive Will Hancock, who told him that the 'overwhelming response' had been taken into account. In a show of solidarity, Mr Smith's son, performing arts student Matthew, 19, who also worked as a first responder, resigned in support of his father. Mr Smith hopes that after he passes his reassessment the teenager would also return to volunteering. 'I would like to work alongside him again,' he said.