A Hybrid algorithm applied to facility location for forest fire fighting considering budget constraints

Abstract

This paper develops an integrated system for forest fire fighting facility location. We propose a mathematical model to deploy available fire fighting resources in proper positions so that any forest fire can be attacked within a specified response time. The proposed model considers budget constraints. This location problem is a variant of the well-known Maximal Covering Location Problem (MCLP) which is known to be NP-hard. We propose a hybrid algorithm that combines GRASP and Tabu Search procedures. According to preliminary computational experiments the hybrid algorithm provides good quality solutions with a reasonable amount of computer effort. This solution can give support to the decision maker for determining the location of fire-fighting resources.