Abstract: We discuss decision support tools used for more efficient planning of fire and rescue services. The methodology considers small and flexible units and includes dynamic utilization of the existing resources. We develop a quantitative measure for preparedness and use it as a basis for decision support. By constantly accounting for the current situation and using intelligent strategies to locate and allocate resources that support good preparedness, response times can be shortened. The tools will be tested using an experimental setup that includes human-in-the-loop simulations, and the results will compare situations that occur when the decision makers have and do not have access to the developed tools. © 2012 ISCRAM.