Citation

Goodman A, Manbeck K, Ricks B, Solow AE. Math. Model. 1986; 7(4): 603-610.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1986, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0270-0255(86)90038-2

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper considers the problem of locating two emergency stations in a small township so as to minimize the total response time to all emergencies. This problem was solved by a computer program which determines the response time for all possible solutions and finds the optimal one. The problem was first approached by assuming that emergencies occur only at the center of blocks and that stations are located only on street corners. The problem was then generalized to allow the emergencies and stations to be located anywhere along the streets. The paper concludes that the optimal solution for the general case is the same as that for the simpler case. For the particular case of the township of Rio Rancho, the optimal locations for the two stations were found to be at coordinates (3, 2) and (3, 6). For Rio Rancho the problem was complicated by the presence of obstacles; however, in this township they did not affect the optimal solution. Test cases confirmed the program's validity.