Abstract: In order to scientifically allocate limited fire resource and elevate coverage efficiency of fire station, a nested hierarchical coverage location model for fire station with limited capacity was presented. Firstly, with the rule of hierarchy and nest, fire stations should be classified when siting, and the coverage area of high-level fire stations was allowed to establish affiliated low- level fire stations, so as to multiply covering urban area and improve coverage efficiency in suburb area. Secondly, considering limited capacity of fire station, fire risk that the same level and same type of fire station was responsible for should be averaged within a certain gap scope. Finally, genetic algorithm was designed to solve model and an example was taken to verify the model. The research proved that: compared to generalized maximal coverage model, fire station location selected by nested hierarchical coverage location model with limited capacity could cover more fire risk, multiply covering high fire risk area and average fire risk between the same level and same type of fire station.

Key words: fire station location, hierarchical coverage, nested location, genetic algorithm