Expansion of Logistics Capability in Emergency Care Systems with Growing Demand

Due to increase in population, income, or gross domestic product in the country, several systems that require fixed installations for user assistance, such as telephone and power services, port terminals, schools, water supply, among other, are subject to increased demand over time. Thus, the supply of services tends to undergo a process of saturation, and that will eventually create a need to expand their facilities over time. Emergency care services, such as firefighters, ambulance service, police, transport of organs for transplantation, etc., can also face this same problem of excessive demand over time, up until they are not able to assist the population properly. The objective of this study is to determine the optimal time interval for the inclusion of new bases for the Fire Department in the city of Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. So as to minimize the cost of the current amount needed to provide future capabilities or to make the average waiting time to assist citizens affected by some emergency situation the shortest possible. New facilities are presumed to be added to the system capacity as soon as it reaches the point of saturation or when the average waiting time in the queue for assistance exceeds a maximum due time established according to the growing demand for services. The cost of unmet demand is not included in this study.