A mixed integer linear program for a real relocation problem of emergency medical vehicles in the province of Valencia

Abstract

The rapid intervention of Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) when an emergency arises is of vital importance for the welfare of citizens. Currently, these Emergency Medical Vehicles (EMV) are located, in the province of Valencia, in certain logistical bases according to the criteria of those responsible for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS). However, it is not possible to cover the entire population of the province within the stipulated maximum times of 12 and 15 minutes (depending on whether it is an ALS or BLS, respectively). For this reason, a maximum coverage model is used to relocate the EMV bases in order to minimize the amount of uncovered population in the province. Thanks to the proposed model, the total coverage defect of the province's population is reduced by more than half compared to the current distribution.

Keywords

• location
• isochrone
• optimization
• emergencies
• mathematical model