Footage of ambulance boat in Venice shows how it's the most unique emergency response unit in the world
Published on Mar 02, 2026 at 2:19 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Feb 26, 2026 at 9:56 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
If you’ve ever wondered how one of the most unique cities on the planet responds to emergencies, this remarkable footage of an ambulance boat in Venice will explain everything.
Venice is unlike any other city in the world, with no roads for cars to drive on, so you have to either use a boat to get through it or walk around the Italian city.
That makes emergency response a challenge, but luckily, the use of boats as ambulances and other emergency vehicles is a great solution.
Watching one roar through the city is a sight you won’t see in many other places around the world.
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The ambulance boat raced through the canals of Venice
The video was posted to YouTube by Makk’s Vlog, and it shows one of the ambulances speeding through Venice’s waterways.
It doesn’t hang around, as it blasts past a police boat and washes up water onto the streets.
The wake left by the ambulance is impressive, and it rocks around the small gondolas, also using the canals.
Even on water, it seems that an ambulance has to deal with traffic.
The emergency services are very well trained to respond as quickly as possible.
In the background, you can hear the amazement of onlookers as they watch it head to the rescue.
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No other city has emergency responders like this
In years gone by, the city would have used gondolas to respond to emergencies.
By the start of the 20th century, motorized ambulances slowly began to take over.
Each ambulance boat is custom-made to handle the daily demands of the floating city.
Inside, they have all the equipment you would expect of an ambulance.
So you have stretchers, ECG monitors, oxygen supplies, and more.
They are quick and agile, around 10 meters long, and use heavy-duty composite materials in their construction.
The same is true for other emergency response vehicles, such as police boats.
It won’t come as a surprise to learn that firefighters in the city also use boats to conduct their work.
There really is no emergency response network quite like the one in Venice.
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a leading heritage steam railway in England.
