Mathematical model to optimize the location of aircraft for wildfire combat

Abstract

Forest fires are a growing concern and a constant threat to humans, to forests and to their ecosystems. Along with climate change there is an increase in the susceptibility of wildfires, with a higher likelihood of them being more frequent and reaching larger dimensions. The sustainability of the forests, as strategic assets of a country, requires the planning and management of protection and relief forces that can efficiently defend the forest, but also the population and the environment. In particular, the initial firefighting actions are crucial to extinguish the occurrences in a short time while they are of small dimensions. But their success depends on several factors, including the aircraft characteristics and their distance to the fire locations. Therefore, it is imperative that these resources are strategically located. This work intends to develop a mathematical optimization model for the location of aircraft for wildfire combat. The model aims to find a solution for the location of the different aircraft that maximize the coverage according to the fire hazard levels of the different areas within a region. The model is solved through general resolution methods provided by FICO Xpress commercial software. Its potential applicability is validated through the detailed presentation of a case study from Portugal.