Six inmates are being hailed as heroes after they saved the life of a correctional officer who passed out during a work detail on Monday.

The inmates of Polk County Jail in Georgia were working outside during a particularly humid morning when their security officer, who asked not to identified, collapsed unconscious. At that point, the prisoners could have taken the van and his gun and sped away, but instead they were only concerned with the man's health.

By the time emergency medical personnel arrived to help, the guard had started breathing again, albeit laboriously. The officer was then taken to the hospital where he has since been recovering from the incident.

Family members of the fallen policeman bought lunch and dessert for the six men as a thank you for their kindness. Additionally, Polk County Sheriff Johnny Moats said that he would be shortening the jail sentences of the six men by about 25%.

The inmates, however, believe that it was simply the right thing to do.

"When that happened, in my opinion, it wasn't about who is in jail and who wasn't," Greg Williams told WXIA-TV News.  "It was about a man going down and we had to help him."

(WATCH the video below from WXIA-11)

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