Os Bravos de Santo António [The Brave Ones of Santo António]

Urban area in Lisbon, Portugal.

Among the strong contextual factors was a clear political interest in innovative projects with societal impact, such as Espaço Júlia, Mercearia Social Valor Humano, and Vassouras & Companhia.

• Social Factors – The high population density and aging community expose vulnerabilities in emergency response.
• Cultural Factors – There is a strong culture of mutual aid but limited technical knowledge of safety procedures.
• Political Factors – Local politicians are engaged and interested in the project, promoting community-oriented and safety policies.
• Economic Factors – Given budgetary constraints, innovative solutions and strategic partnerships are needed to ensure sustainability.

• Enhance security.
• Enhance security-related behaviour in emergency situations.

The parish trains staff and citizen volunteers in first aid and basic life support, preparing them for emergency situations such as helping someone facing a health emergency or raising the alert about an imminent flood risk. The project has also developed a digital application: when an unexpected situation arises, it can be reported through the app to the area manager, who gives instructions on what to do or calls for help. The app delivers multimedia training and information, logs occurrences, and issues warnings and alerts, keeping the “Bravos” up to date and able to report dangers in the parish area — such as falling structures, fires, or public health risks — at any time, since the project operates 24 hours a day.

• Parish of Santo António
• Citizens
• Retired members of fire brigades, police, and other frontline forces

The project rests on volunteers: citizens who actively choose to give their time and experience in service of their community.

The project applied a social innovation approach grounded in participatory practice, measuring results through indicators of capacity-building, community response, and perceived safety. Its people-centred focus was key to its success.

Its methodology followed these key phases:

1. Community assessment
2. Identification and training of the “Bravos”
3. Practical simulations
4. Creation of a community manual titled “Parish Self-Protection Measures”
5. Continuous evaluation and adaptation

• Participatory approach to traditional civil protection activities.
• Intersectional network building.
• Volunteering programme with open access guidelines to self-protection.

Digital communication platforms were included, along with georeferencing of risk points and a pilot application for sending internal alerts, as well as an in-house app developed by the parish IT department. It allows contact between the “Bravos,” enables identification of critical areas in real time, records risk occurrences, and supports simulations with interactive multimedia elements, providing an up-to-date overview of risks in the parish.

• Involving local citizens helped identify practical steps to strengthen the sense of safety and security.
• The project led to the creation of a digital application that helps citizens act during an emergency.
• More than 150 citizens were trained, perceived safety increased by more than 27% compared to the previous level, collaboration among neighbours improved, and emergency response became more effective.
• The impact was both emotional and practical: people feel more valued and part of local safety efforts.
• The connection between the Municipal Civil Protection, the Parish Council, associations, and citizens was strengthened, creating a true strategic support network for emergency situations.

• Integration of participatory activities into traditional, institutional actions.
• Active participation is the driving force of any community project.
• There is no innovation without listening, understanding needs, and involving everyone.
• The figure of the “Bravos” (volunteers).
• Participatory simulations and practical home-based training were central.
• Local commitment, methodological simplicity, and the emotional engagement of the population were key to success.

• The project relies on volunteers.
• It requires constant training and formative activities.
• Low literacy in civil protection was one of the obstacles, addressed through playful activities, simplified communication, and informal training with the community.

Other parish councils can draw on the project’s results as a model for developing their own emergency action plans through active citizen engagement.

New local trainers were trained, lasting partnerships with schools were established, and permanent support materials were created.

The digital technologies behind the project are functional and have strong replication potential: with adequate technical support, it can be readily adapted to other neighbourhoods or municipalities.