Establishing the level of service for public emergency ambulance systems.

Abstract A comprehensive approach to establishing the level of service for an emergency ambulance system is proposed. The approach uses an optimal ambulance deployment model to generate promising ambulance systems for various fleet sizes. These systems in turn are compared to a baseline (the existing system) and cost-effectiveness ratios are calculated to combine system cost and intangible benefits. The resulting ratios are used to screen the alternative systems for an appropriate level of service. The approach is used by the City of Austin, Texas to select an ambulance system.