Forest fire resource allocation with goal programming: The case of Antalya, Kaş

Forest fires are among the disasters that cause both ecological balance disruption and economic losses. In order to respond quickly to these disasters, equipment allocation planning is of great strategic importance. Kaş district of Antalya is a region with high temperature and drought conditions due to its rich ecosystem and Mediterranean climate. In addition, strong winds in the region increase the speed of fire spread and pose a high risk for forest fires. Therefore, the application area is Kaş district. In this context, in this study, 11 regions of Kaş that are at risk of forest fires were identified by considering past forest fire data. For the first time, a resource allocation model for forest fire response was developed using the goal programming method. The model aims at effective management and balanced allocation of limited resources. Each forest fire zone will be allocated as much equipment as it needs. The mathematical model was solved with the IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimization program. According to the findings, more equipment was assigned to the 3rd, 5th, and 11th forest fire zones. Therefore, it shows that the fire risk and spread rate of the regions are high. Thus, it confirms the applicability and effectiveness of the model.