Locating the Emergency Centers on High-risk Roads Leading to Bojnurd using Analytical Hierarchy Process-Fuzzy Method (FAHP)

Abstract

Introduction: According to the report of the World Health Organization represent-ative in Iran and expressing regret over the increasing and cautionary trend of injuries and deaths due to traffic accidents, road casualties in this country have been increasing since 2017, and they are among the five most important causes of death in Iran. Therefore, the present study aimed to locate the emergency stations on the roads leading to Bojnurd, North Khorasan Province, Iran, in order to reduce injuries and deaths and provide timely services to the injured and accident victims. Method: This applied research used a positivism philosophy, library documents, specialized references, previous studies, field research, observations, and interviews. Based on experts' opinions, 10 locating factors were selected for weighting using multi-criteria decision-making methods (FAHP). Afterward, a fine-grained zoning map was provided in GIS utilizing FUZZY logic. Results: Physical, demographic, social, and geographic data were used in this study to locate the emergency stations on the roads of this province. The results revealed four desirable locations for the construction of emergency statins on the roads leading to Bojnurd. Conclusion: The selection of the correct place to construct emergency stations plays a significant role in reducing the time for the emergency vehicle to reach the patient's bedside. Therefore, the location and placement of emergency centers and the arrangement of these services on the road, as well as the optimal distribution of these centers have a significant impact on the type of performance and quality of service