While on his way to a tuition class, Shreeram Subramanyam ended up learning something not usually taught in a classroom.

On March 23, the 11-year-old boy was walking past Potong Pasir Community Centre and approaching a bus stop when he noticed an elderly man on the ground and in distress.

Fearing that the man was losing consciousness, the Primary 5 pupil from St Andrew's Junior School knew he had to do something. He checked the man's pulse, and when he noticed the man gasping for air, he alerted some people nearby.

Two men then performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the man while Shreeram dashed to the nearby Potong Pasir Neighbourhood Police Post to get help.

His timely actions led to him becoming one of the youngest recipients of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Community Lifesaver Award last Thursday.

The award is given to members of the public whose actions involved an element of self-risk and/or contributed to saving lives.

Shreeram said: "I was scared and shocked but decided to put my worries aside and focus on helping the man in any way I could."

Thankfully, he had learnt about cardiac arrest in school a few days before the incident. And knowing how to check for a pulse was something he learnt from his family.

He said: "I realised how serious the situation was... as he seemed to be on the brink of death. Although I was very nervous, I just thought about what my family would do if they were in this situation and reacted accordingly."

After returning to the bus stop from the police post, he was relieved to find an ambulance at the scene and the man in good hands.

On recognising Shreeram's life-saving contribution, Lieutenant-Colonel Bob Tan, senior assistant director of SCDF's volunteer and community partnership department, said he hoped the boy's actions will spur others to learn about CPR+AED (automated external defibrillator) and that others will "step forward when they encounter others in distress".

Shreeram's mother, Madam Subhathira Sambandan, 49, said: "I am very proud of him as he was very collected the whole time.

"I am not completely surprised at how compassionate and ready he is to help others, but him managing to stay calm throughout was unexpected and inspiring."