SINGAPORE - Two Police Coast Guard (PCG) officers who were having breakfast in Tiong Bahru on Nov 26 sprang into action to help resuscitate an unconscious hawker.

Staff Sergeant Ng Zi Rong and Corporal (NS) Bryan Ng Zhe Jie were eating at Jalan Kukoh Food Centre when they heard a commotion, the police said in a Facebook post lauding the duo on Sunday (Dec 3).

A fish soup stall owner in her 50s was shaking her unconscious husband and shouting "wake up" repeatedly.

He had collapsed and his face had turned pale, the officers said.

Staff Sgt Ng asked a bystander to call for an ambulance and checked the man's pulse and breath for irregularities.

Cpl Ng stacked two stools together and his colleague placed the man's legs on them. Cpl Ng then loosened the man's shoes to improve blood circulation.

Paramedics arrived at the scene shortly after and the two PCG officers told them about the man's condition.

He had begun coming to by then. He was later assessed to be in a stable condition and did not have to be taken to hospital.

The couple own a fish soup stall at the hawker centre, and the man was likely to have fainted due to a cut on his finger he got while slicing fish. According to his wife, he has low blood pressure.

Both Staff Sgt Ng and Cpl Ng said it was natural for them to help.

Staff Sgt Ng told The Straits Times that he was surprised at the praise he received.

"I thought I was just doing my job as a policeman even though I was not on duty," he said.

His counterpart Cpl Ng said: "I felt a sense of accomplishment. It was good to know that people around us recognise a good deed."

The police commended the pair for "their selfless instinct to save lives".