Modeling ambulance service of the Austrian Red Cross

We discuss a simulation model used in the analysis of the transport logistics of the Austrian Red Cross rescue organization. The emphasis is on the details of modeling the scheduling of ambulance service in the simulation environment ARENA. A heuristic (near-) optimal strategy is employed to coordinate patients' transports, where some parameters with an intuitive interpretation, which are involved in the decision process, have to be suitably chosen. The validity of the model is apparent from the interpretation of the results in terms of the structure of the organization and coordination of services provided.