A knowledge-based system and method for establishing and managing routes for emergency vehicles. The knowledge-based system and method uses a knowledge base having information useful in establishing and managing routes for emergency vehicles including information on intersections, road segments connecting intersections, expected travel time along the road segments, and dynamic factors that influence traffic flow, and a database for storing routes designed using the information useful in establishing and managing routes. The knowledge-based system also consist of one or more software modules operable to retrieve information from the knowledge base and to perform operations such as designing routes between location involved in emergency response, selecting between such routes, and modifying such routes all using information in the knowledge base.