Duke Life Flight & SMAT Vehicle Garage

The Duke Life Flight and NC State Medical Assistance Team (SMAT) Vehicle Garage in Durham houses Duke Life Flight's critical care transport trucks alongside the NC400 SMAT's mobile field hospital and disaster-response vehicles. The 12,500-square-foot pre-engineered metal building has a dozen overhead doors and drive-in bays sized for everything from ambulances to tractor-trailers. Edmondson Engineers designed the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.

Because vehicles start and idle indoors, the bays are ventilated by an indirect gas-fired makeup air unit and a large exhaust fan, with carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide detection tied to the ventilation system. Each bay has cord reels to keep vehicle batteries and onboard equipment charged, and the building is set up for emergency power so the fleet stays ready around the clock. Fire alarm, lighting, and floor drains piped through an oil-water interceptor complete the systems.

The garage opened in December 2023.