The ski patrollers used defibrillators, like this one, to help resuscitate a man who collapsed in Brittania Park. (CBC)

A man who suffered a heart attack in Ottawa's Britannia Park was lucky that 85 members of the Canadian Ski Patrol were upgrading their CPR training in the park.

Brian Chisamore, the national CPR co-ordinator with the Canadian Ski Patrol, described how they found the unconscious man in the park Sunday.

"Somebody came in who had spoken to some of the patrollers earlier in the day and was interested in what we were doing — they came back in and said 'Someone is dying outside in the park.' And of course there was almost 100 of us here that could've gone out and checked out the situation," Chisamore said.

The man, between 40 and 50 years of age, had been playing volleyball. He collapsed following the game and was not breathing and had no pulse.

The lifesaving recertification course suddenly became a real life emergency.

"So it was fortunate we were here," said Chisamore.

Patrollers took one of their many defibrillators to the man in cardiac arrest and while waiting for paramedics to arrive, the ski patrollers shocked him with the defibrillator and did CPR.

By the time the ambulance arrived "the patient was gaining colour and that's the best outcome," Chisamore said.

Joe Micucci, commander of community medicine with Ottawa Paramedic Service, said timing is of the essence in these types of emergencies.

That's why the municipality offer free CPR training to anyone who wants it and installs defibrillators in all public buildings, he said.

"If you want to have a cardiac arrest, do it on public property because your chance of being saved is 70 per cent," he said.

Chisamore said the heart attack victim had good vital signs by Sunday night and was scheduled to be transferred to the Ottawa Hospital Heart Institute for followup care.