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UTICA, N.Y. -- City and fire officials are calling it a great day in Utica following a court ruling that the city-run ambulance service can continue.

Mayor Rob Palmieri says the decision ends five years of litigation in which the city service was denied a certificate of need to operate. The ruling from the State Supreme Court's Appellate Division overturned that decision.

Fire officials say crews often provide medical support when they're first on a scene, and extending that with the ambulance service is a logical fit.

"With this concept of transporting, we maintain a continuity of care. We don't turn a patient over, we see it right to the end until we turn it over to a higher level of care," said Fire Chief Russell Brooks.

Officials say they plan to look forward and work alongside Kunkel Ambulance Service, a private service also operating in the city.