A Metaheuristic Algorithm Guided by Simulation for Optimizing the Static Allocation of Emergency Medical Vehicles

Victor Sanchez-Anguix, Vicent Botti

Abstract: A critical aspect of optimizing Emergency Medical Services systems is determining the allocation and distribution of Emergency Medical Vehicles (EMVs). This paper introduces a new approach to the static allocation problem, employing a Tabu search-based metaheuristics and an EMV simulator to optimize the average response time to emergencies. Unlike previous methods, our simulation-based approach captures the dynamic nature of EMS systems more accurately. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed solution outperforms both random search and state-of-the-art genetic algorithms regarding average response time to emergencies.