# Aquatic Ambulances (DD-644)

> In Venice's historic center and the islands of its lagoon, emergency calls to Italy's 118 number are answered by idroambulanze, water ambulances run by the local emergency medical service SUEM 118. The boats in the footage are yellow, with red-and-yellow checks and the word 'AMBULANZA'. They are fast motorboats with a covered cabin for a stretcher patient and equipment much like a land ambulance: oxygen, a monitor and defibrillator, and stretchers. Italian sources describe the usual crew as a boat pilot, two healthcare workers and a nurse, with an emergency doctor joining for the most serious ('red code') calls. Italy has no separate 'paramedic' profession like the U.S. or UK, so nurses lead the clinical care. Local reporting has put the service at about 18,000 call-outs a year across the lagoon. It has run seven boats, with several on standby at once, based at the city's main hospital, the Ospedale Civile (SS. Giovanni e Paolo). Getting a patient from a narrow canal or a house without a nearby landing usually means carrying them by stretcher through the streets to the boat. A 2023 paper in the European Journal of Emergency Medicine described the service's unusual conditions.

- Department: Locations (also People)
- First published: 2025-08-28
- Last updated: 2025-08-28
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/aquatic-ambulances/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## Quick facts

- **DD-644-F01**: Venice's water ambulances are run by SUEM 118. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Run by 118))_
- **DD-644-F02**: The service handles about 18,000 call-outs a year. _(Write-up · Exhibit D (Busy waters))_

## Write-up

Ambulances that ride the canals. Venice's 118 service answers emergencies by boat.

1. **Run by 118**: Venice's water ambulances belong to SUEM 118, the local branch of Italy's emergency medical system.
2. **Who's aboard**: Usually a pilot, two healthcare workers and a nurse, with a doctor for the most serious calls.
3. **What's aboard**: The boats carry equipment comparable to land ambulances, including oxygen, monitors, defibrillators and stretchers.
4. **Busy waters**: Local reporting has put the service at about 18,000 call-outs a year across the lagoon.
5. **Home base**: The boats are based at the Ospedale Civile, Venice's main hospital.

## Related case files

- [Hydrant Hygiene (DD-677)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/hydrant-hygiene/): Another emergency-service case
- [RoboClassical (DD-722)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/roboclassical/): Another case set in Italy

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: 'Staffed with paramedics': Italy doesn't have a separate paramedic profession. Crews are typically a boat pilot, two healthcare workers and a nurse, plus an emergency doctor for the most serious calls.
- **Note**: 'Navigate quickly through the narrow waterways': many canals are too narrow or low for the boats, so patients are often carried by stretcher through the streets to a landing.
- **Missing**: the service is SUEM 118 (Italy's emergency number is 118), based at the Ospedale Civile, and it covers the whole lagoon, including islands like Lido, Murano and Burano.
- **Note**: 'Specially designed motorboats': yes, they have a covered patient cabin and equipment comparable to a land ambulance, including oxygen, a monitor and defibrillator, and stretchers.
- **Scale**: local reporting has put the service at about 18,000 call-outs a year, from a fleet of seven boats with several on standby at a time.

## Video: Aquatic Ambulances: Ambulances That Ride the Canals

- Duration: 21.3 s · Published: 2025-08-28
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DN55pLaESct.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? In Venice, Italy, where canals replace roads, ambulances are specially designed motorboats equipped to provide emergency medical services and navigate quickly through the narrow waterways. These ambulances are staffed with paramedics and carry stretchers, defibrillators, and other life-saving equipment, functioning much like land ambulances but adapted for the city's unique geography. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: What number do Italians call for an ambulance?**  
A: 118, the emergency medical service. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Run by 118) · La Nuova Venezia: Al 118 due nuove idroambulanze, in laguna 18 mila interventi l'anno; European Journal of Emergency Medicine: Medical emergencies throughout the Venetian lagoon, the Venetian SUEM on water ambulances)_

**Q: Who usually leads clinical care on a Venice water ambulance?**  
A: Doctors join for the most serious calls. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Who's aboard) · Nurse24: Idroambulanza, il soccorso sanitario in ambiente marino)_

**Q: What is a water ambulance called in Italian?**  
A: Idroambulanza. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Run by 118) · La Nuova Venezia: Al 118 due nuove idroambulanze, in laguna 18 mila interventi l'anno; European Journal of Emergency Medicine: Medical emergencies throughout the Venetian lagoon, the Venetian SUEM on water ambulances)_

**Q: About how many call-outs a year does the lagoon service handle?**  
A: According to local reporting. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Busy waters) · La Nuova Venezia: Al 118 due nuove idroambulanze, in laguna 18 mila interventi l'anno)_

**Q: Where are the boats based?**  
A: Venice's main hospital. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Home base) · La Nuova Venezia: Al 118 due nuove idroambulanze, in laguna 18 mila interventi l'anno; VeneziaToday: Due nuove idroambulanze per l'ospedale di Venezia)_

## Sources

- [La Nuova Venezia: Al 118 due nuove idroambulanze, in laguna 18 mila interventi l'anno](https://www.nuovavenezia.it/cronaca/al-118-due-nuove-idroambulanze-in-laguna-18-mila-interventi-lanno-qf2exriy)
- [Nurse24: Idroambulanza, il soccorso sanitario in ambiente marino](https://www.nurse24.it/specializzazioni/emergenza-urgenza/idroambulanza-118-in-ambiente-marino.html)
- [VeneziaToday: Due nuove idroambulanze per l'ospedale di Venezia](https://www.veneziatoday.it/attualita/nuove-idroambulanze-ospedale-venezia.html)
- [European Journal of Emergency Medicine: Medical emergencies throughout the Venetian lagoon, the Venetian SUEM on water ambulances](https://doi.org/10.1097/mej.0000000000001037)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Aquatic Ambulances." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-644, last updated Aug 28, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/aquatic-ambulances/