A Simulator for Ambulance Dispatch

Abstract

Ambulance dispatch is a system where an operator directs a set of ambulances to locations where people require emergency medical assistance. A few seconds can still be decisive in whether the ambulance and the medical technicians arrive on time to save the patient. To further study how ambulance travel time affects success rates, we have written software to simulate ambulance dispatch using past data. Running this program on varying parameters such as number of ambulances and bases show minor to stark differences in the effectiveness of a group of ambulances to respond to emergency medical cases within a city. Using this tool, it becomes possible to highlight the effectiveness of increasing the number of ambulances in Tijuana in order to better execute ambulance dispatch.