In response to an incoming fire alarm, someone must decide how many and which engine and ladder companies (firefighters and their apparatus) to dispatch to the scene. Traditional dispatching policies assume that all of the designated companies are available at the time the alarm is received....

This paper presents a semi-empirical method for the analysis of manning policies in firefighting. Since manpower costs account for a major share of non-volunteer fire departments' budgets, manning level is one of the most important policy issues relating to fire departments faced by local...