Selecting helicopter landing sites based on crisis management framework (Case study: Lorestan province

Background: The most important programs in crisis management are timely and effective relief and rescue operations. Therefore, this study aims to find a solution for the best and fastest route of the air relief team in the crisis management framework. Method: In this study, geographic information system (GIS) was applied to locate the suitable areas for helicopter landing in the framework of the crisis management. In the first step, the map of the hazardous areas was used so that the nearest landing points are located in these high-risk areas. In this model, different environmental parameters have been applied such as land use, slope, surrounding area. Findings: The results show there is a well spatial distribution of the landing zones in Lorestan province; however the major limitation of the landing zones recognize in the southeast areas of Lorestan. According to the risk assessment outcomes, the southeast of Lorestan is more prone to the environmental disaster and high risk; thus, specific areas for emergency relief should explored and prepared through field operations. At the end, the areas covered by the satellite image were adapted in order to verify the results of the model. Finally, it is suggested that a field survey should be done in order to verify the efficiency of the method and to obtain results that are more applicable. Conclusion: The results show that due to the effect of three main factors including slope, climate and active faults, the southern and eastern parts of Lorestan province has the highest potential for environmental crisis. Due to uneven terrain, this area has the most unfavorable conditions for the helicopter landing and requires building special landing zones based on the geographical location and the distance from the relief bases.