Lawrence County rang in the new year with something new of its own — an emergency medical services system.

For the first time in nearly three decades the Southeast Ohio Emergency Medical Services was no longer operating, but that didn’t mean if residents called 911 that they wouldn’t get an ambulance on its way to help.

The Lawrence County Commissioners worked hard in the recent months to rebuild the ambulance service basically from the ground up after the other two counties in SEOEMS decided to pull out.

The commissioners should be commended for their efforts to keep this public service operating without a single gap in coverage.

No one was left calling 911 without immediate response.

Although the need for a publicly operated ambulance service can certainly be debated, the bottom line is the elected officials believe this is vital to the quality of life in Lawrence County and took steps to make sure it continues.

In the end that is all we can ask of our elected representatives: To do what they think is right and what they believe is in the best interest of the majority of constituents.

The commissioners did that in this case, doing their best to create a plan that won’t cost more than we were already spending.

Ultimately, this single-county ambulance service should be more manageable and easier to operate.

If citizens don’t like this decision, they can make their voices heard at the polls but at least the commission created a plan and executed it.