Location of rescue helicopters in South Tyrol

In this case study we analyse the positioning of rescue helicopters in the South Tyrol region of Northern Italy. Three rescue helicopters are co-ordinated by the ‘Weißes Kreuz’ organisation. We were provided with the number of missions in the period of one year, listed by town (there are 116 towns). The model is a p-center location-allocation model with weighted Euclidean distance. In a first step, we analysed the current positions, computing the optimal location of each helicopter in its area of operation. We then employed several heuristics to improve the current solution. Those were based on clustering methods for allocation and subsequent optimal location with respect to demand point clusters. The obtained results show that response times to emergency calls might be considerably improved by relocating at least two of the helicopter bases.