A North Vancouver RCMP officer was in the right place at the right time to save a life on Sunday.

The police officer was doing a regular patrol of the Upper Lonsdale area in her cruiser Sunday afternoon when she saw an elderly man suddenly fall to the ground, said Sgt. Peter DeVries, spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP.

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The officer quickly pulled over and ran to the man, who was lying on the sidewalk. Finding the man had no pulse, the officer called the ambulance, said DeVries, and began CPR.

Officers are equipped with N95 masks and gloves for any work that involves getting close to people.

The latest guidelines for CPR involve concentrating on chest compressions only, to keep blood moving to the brain, rather than on giving rescue breaths, DeVries noted.

The officer was able to keep up the chest compressions and get the man’s heart started again before an ambulance arrived minutes later with advance life support equipment.

DeVries said the most recent information he had was that the man was recovering in hospital.