A Bi-Level Programing for Wildfire Self-Evacuation Network Design

A non-linear bi-level problem is suggested in this paper for wildfire self-evacuation planning, the upper problem of which includes binary variables and the lower problem includes continuous variables. In this model, the upper problem selects a number of links and adds them to the available evacuation network. It predicts the traffic balance and the time window of the links in the lower problem. A part of the objective function in the bi-level problem is non-linearity and it is linearized with a linear approximation method which does not require binary variables. Then, the linear bi-level model is reformulated as a non-linear single-level problem. This model is linearized and transferred into Mixed Integer Programing. The model is then used for the real case study of the Beechworth fire in 2009. The final outputs of the model are beneficial in planning design schemes for emergency evacuation to use the maximum potential of the available transportation network.