Improving Emergency Responsiveness with Management Science

Abstract

While the goal of OR/MS is to aid decision-makers, implementation of published models occurs less frequently than one might hope. However, one area that has been significantly affected by management science is the management of emergency response systems. Dozens of papers on emergency service problems appeared in the OR/MS literature in the 1970s alone,-- many of which were published in Management Science. Three of these papers won major prizes. More importantly, many of these papers resulted in the implementation of substantially new policies and practices, particularly in policing and firefighting. Much of this work originated in New York City, though many other cities subsequently adopted the resulting models and strategies. In this paper, we look at the content and nature of the research itself, and the factors that led to these early implementation successes. We then track the extent to which these original models are still affecting decision-making in emergency response systems as well as the development of new OR/MS models and applications in the area. We also look at issues in emergency responsiveness that have emerged as a result of the national focus on terrorism and discuss the potential for future OR/MS modeling and application

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