Theoretical approaches for evaluating the economic efficiency of the aerial firefighting helping strategic planning

Abstract

Introduction: Aerial firefighting is very expensive solution; therefore it isn’t useless to study it by the criteria of efficiency. But the meaning of efficiency for fire managers can be different from the meaning of efficiency for economists. Economic efficiency is stricter than technical efficiency. Method: this research created and used rectangular and concentric circles models, than made transport analysis and rate calculation. Results and discussion: The rectangular model shows the criteria of economic efficiency of aerial firefighting. The results from rectangular model can be transferred also to the concentric circles model. Based on the concentric circle model we can define both the economic efficiency of aerial firefighting and minimal criteria of successful suppression expressed by the elementary information we have regarding the actual fire. This paper points also at some principle mistakes often made by marketing to overrate the advantages of some aerial products, agents or procedures. Even if it is very difficult to take into consideration all circumstances and assumptions which are found during firefighting process but there are some theories that can help us to assess the economical effectiveness of aerial product, agent or procedure more precisely than rated nowadays by the marketing.