Acquisition of Competences for Disaster Responders: A Qualitative Study

Disaster response requires a diverse set of skills, yet there is no universally agreed definition of the specific competences needed. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how disaster responders acquire competence.

A qualitative study using inductive thematic analysis. Individual interviews with disaster responders who had worked in a leading position.

The study included 14 participants from 7 nationalities, all of whom were experienced disaster responders from different professions. From the analysis, four themes arose describing different ways of acquiring the competences and skills required to function as a disaster responder. Previous background, formal training, mental preparedness, and personal traits all had a role in how competences and skills were acquired among disaster responders.

Formal training alone cannot fully prepare disaster responders for the reality of a disaster but needs to be combined with personal experiences from both disasters and other contexts as well as mental preparation. Personal traits also play a role for acquisition of competence. When designing training programs, technical disaster-specific skills should serve as the core, but equal emphasis should be placed on non-technical skills, especially teamwork, leadership, mentoring, and gender awareness within response teams. These elements contribute to developing capable and well-prepared responders.