Multi-period emergency vehicle fleet redistribution and dispatching

Abstract

This research paper delves into the intricate task of redistributing and dispatching emergency vehicles across multiple periods, while considering the unpredictable occurrence time and locations of traffic accidents. To address this challenge, we propose a two-stage stochastic programming model aimed at minimising the expected penalty cost in the face of various random scenarios. In the first stage, we determine a baseline schedule for redistributing the emergency vehicle fleets across multiple periods. In the second stage, we strategically dispatch the vehicle fleets to address traffic accidents in each scenario. To tackle this model, we employ a solution method based on variable neighbourhood search. We conduct numerical experiments and provide a real-world example to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model. Furthermore, we perform sensitivity analysis to extract managerial implications that can potentially enhance accident rescue efforts.