ATTLEBORO -- Usually, it's paramedics who zap heart attack victims back to life - but this time police came to the rescue.

A South Attleboro man is recovering in a hospital after police used a portable heart defibrillator to revive him when he suffered a serious heart attack.

Patrolman Joseph Enegren was the first public safety official on the scene when he found 48-year-old Kenneth Allard on the ground and unresponsive in the front of a house on Newport Avenue Monday morning.

Enegren found no pulse and hooked up an automated external defibrillator, or AED, to Allard, while Officer Peter Morse performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Police have had AEDs for several years, but Monday's emergency is the first time one was used to revive a victim.

Enegren and Morse, who were nearby and arrived within a minute of the call, worked on Allard until fire officials and paramedics arrived to continue the life saving efforts.

Allard was placed in an ambulance, where paramedics zapped him more times to get a pulse before they got him to Sturdy Memorial Hospital and breathing again.

Allard, who lives in a room at the Hollywood Motel on Route 1 in South Attleboro, was transferred to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, where he was listed in good condition Friday.

"He's stable and doing really well there," said Enegren, who spoke to hospital officials.

An automated external defibrillator is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses a potentially life-threatening cardiac arrest and signals the user when to administer a shock.

"I think it's great thing. It's a tremendous credit to these officers," Police Chief Richard Pierce said Friday, adding that he will be writing letters of commendation to the officers.

The police department has six AEDs on cruisers - one on every city beat - and one at the station. Almost all of the city's police officer are certified in their use and more are expected to be certified soon, Pierce said.

Police are not trying to replace paramedics, Pirece said, but AEDs can help save lives when someone suffers a heart attack and every minute counts.

"Initially, he probably wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for these guys," Pierce said.

Police Capt. David Proia credited Enegren and Morse with remaining "cool and collected under pressure."

Pierce said he hopes to get more AEDs for the department, but the equipment is expensive - $1,895 for each unit - in times of limited budgets.

Enegren and Morse were pleased to have had a role in saving someone's life.

"That's the ultimate goal," Enegren said. "When the person pulls through and is OK, that's the best feeling in the world."