Institutional Vulnerability: Training and care of intervention teams as means to manage risks. Analysis by a team of Argentine researchers

This article analyzes institutional vulnerability in relation of emergency intervention teams, considering some of the main findings of previous investigations on emergencies and disasters. Such findings include: Subjective impact of actors that take actions in these situations; the limited training and insufficient care of workers that are part of mentioned teams; and the insufficient public policy regarding an accurate training to intervene. All these are considered as institutional vulnerability indicators. Authors have participated in these investigations about emergencies and disasters, as part of an interdisciplinary team in the Facultad de Trabajo Social (UNER), Argentina. Finally, we consider the importance of continuing (or further) education of intervention teams as a fundamental part of an integrated disasters risk management system. This also includes the relevance of incorporating the notions of care and self-care in such teams which could reduce the risks they are exposed to and reinforcing their capacities for intervention.