Optimizing large‐scale emergency medical system operations on highways using the hypercube queuing model

In this study, we present a series of well‐known optimization methods to address two related decisions associated with the design of large‐scale ambulance operations on highways: (1) The question of location, and (2) the issue of districting. As a result of computer storage and runtime constraints, previous approaches have only considered small‐to‐moderate scale problem scenarios, generally employing exact hypercube queuing models integrated into optimization procedures. We overcome these limitations here by embedding a fast and accurate hypercube approximation algorithm adapted for partial backup dispatch policies in single‐ and multi‐start greedy heuristics. The proposed methods are tested on small‐to‐large‐scale problems involving up to 100 ambulances. The results suggest that our approach is a viable alternative for the analysis and configuration of large‐scale highway emergency medical systems, providing reasonable accuracy and affordable run times.