Now here’s something to applaud.

A group of Maine Army National Guard soldiers were convoying on Route 2 through Rumford recently when a car accident occurred nearby. A bad one, too; one car slammed the rear of another, causing injuries to both drivers.

So the Guard snapped into action. Some of them directed traffic, while others attended to the injured drivers.

Thanks to their efforts, and those of the more typical emergency responders in Rumford, the only real serious casualties from the crash were the cars. They were totaled.

In the lush greenery of late summer in Western Maine, the sight of a cadre of soldiers in desert camouflage uniforms and combat boots scurrying around a car wreck sounds comical. Maybe the drivers wondered if they had somehow entered the Twilight Zone, or worse, after seeing their rescuers.

But uniforms in an emergency don’t matter. People in distress usually care little whether it’s the police, firefighters, ambulance, the National Guard or a fleet of aircraft carriers that comes to their aid if they’re in trouble.

It’s all about being there at the right time to give help. Trained or not, everybody has a role in an emergency.

For Brandon Edwards and Jennifer Fuller, their rescuers just happened to be soldiers passing through.

It was a fortuitous coincidence to have a group of highly skilled personnel right there.

In the next accident, it might be somebody less credentialed who is there. So what should they do?

We suggest they take a lesson from the National Guard.