Every minute counts in cardiac arrest. It was with this in mind that the owners of Ò Carcaça street food and bar, Tiago Laginha and Patrícia Cordeiro, in partnership with Brotherootz, now have a defibrillator at Carvalho Beach ready to give support and help those facing cardiac arrest.


"I have been a member of the ambulance crew for about eight years and so I thought that in my own business I should incorporate a mechanism that would allow me to save lives," Tiago Laginha said.


"As far as I know, we are the first street food business to have a defibrillator," said Tiago Laginha, who wants to set an example for other street food businesses. "Street food is usually positioned in crowded places, so I think it can be key to have a device like this," he said.


As a street food business, Ò Carcaça can take their food (and now their defibrillator) anywhere, but they are based in the car park on Carvalho Beach. In addition, the device can be taken to the beach and along the Seven Hanging Valleys trail in case of emergency.


"Even though this is not our job, we provide help whenever we notice an emergency. Together with Tiago Laginha, who has experience as a paramedic, we manage to help until the ambulance arrives on the scene," Francisco Araújo, co-owner of Brotherootz told The Portugal News.


It is important to note that Carvalho Beach has no lifeguard and an ambulance during the summer can take 20/30 minutes to arrive. In addition, the poor network and difficult access to the beach makes the work of the community even more important.

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Paula Martins is a fully qualified journalist, who finds writing a means of self-expression. She studied Journalism and Communication at University of Coimbra and recently Law in the Algarve. Press card: 8252

Paula Martins