Abstract
We introduce a maximal covering model for EMS-Helicopter system in which helicopters are used to transfer patients in critical need of care to a hospital. Locations of both helipads and stations are determined so as to maximize demands accessible to helicopter transportation. We focus on two different dispatching rules on transportation time; one is the total time of transporting a patient to a hospital by helicopter and the other is the amount of time reduced by transporting a patient to a hospital by helicopter compared with transporting a patient directly to the hospital by ambulance. Two types of coverage objectives are introduced for these rules. The first type considers that a given demand is covered when the transportation time is within the given threshold while the second type considers that a given demand is covered when the amount of time reduction is short enough. Optimal locations of both helipads and stations are analyzed using an idealized city model for various values of coverage times. We also examine how the existence of a geographical barrier affects the optimal design of EMS-helicopter system.
