A recursive simulation-optimization framework for the ambulance location and dispatching problem

This study addresses the Ambulance Location and Dispatching Problem (ALDP), which jointly determines the location of available ambulances and their dispatching policy. The latter takes the form of a dispatching list that defines, for each zone of the covered territory, an ordered list providing a hierarchy of ambulances to be chosen whenever a call arrives. While decisions concerning the ambulance locations are of a tactical nature and often...