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FIRST NIH IMMIGRATION CONFERENCE:

ALIENS OF EXTRAORDINARY ABILITY... AND OTHER TOPICS OF INTEREST

The Immigration Conference held on September 8 

was the first of its kind at the NIH, with more than 135

people attending.The entire Division of International

Services (DIS) staff did all planning, including workshop

development and presentation.

After the introduction of the new office name,

Division of International Services, and the unveiling of

the division's new logo, announcements were made

regarding the many changes implemented to reduce the

time it takes foreign scientists to arrive at the NIH.

Unfortunately, the efficiencies gained by the new procedures may not be recognized as the Department of State

continues to thoroughly scrutinize all researchers coming

from overseas. Other announcements included the progress

on a new analysis study that will introduce the beginnings

of a new data system.

The Immigration Conference will be an annual

event. New workshops will be developed; for example,

DIS anticipates presentations on evaluating foreign 

credentials and one that will help prepare foreign 

scientists for returning to their home country.

The following are some of the topics covered at the

conference:

O-1 and Lawful Permanent Residence (LPR)

Sessions for the O-1 (Alien of Extraordinary Ability)

and LPR (Lawful Permanent Resident under the

Outstanding Researcher or Professor classification) were

combined due to the similarity. New request forms and

streamlined procedures were introduced for both. Many

of the administrative staff in attendance were not aware

the LPR process is a lengthy one that can take up to

three or four years.

Waiver of the two-year home residence 

requirement (212e) The presentation on waivers

described how a waiver of the two-year home residence

requirement can be used in extending the career of a

foreign researcher, since this requirement serves as a bar

to changing from J-1 to H-1B status for the majority of

researchers at the NIH.Various types of waivers, the

overall process and timing were covered in the session.

Attendees reported gaining a better understanding of a

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ISSUE OCTOBER 2003 

NEWS2USE

OFFICE OF RESEARCH SERVICES

FIRST NIH IMMIGRATION CONFERENCE:

ALIENS OF EXTRAORDINARY ABILITY... 

AND OTHER TOPICS OF INTEREST

PARKING SPACES:

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

SECURITY & EMERGENCY

RESPONSE TO BETTER SERVE THE NIH

PERIMETER SECURITY: A 3-ELEMENT SYSTEM

FOOD SERVICES LISTSERV:

SIGN UP BY NOVEMBER 21 FOR A

SPECIAL HOLIDAY DISCOUNT COUPON

NIH AWARDED WORKPLACE

EXCELLENCE SEAL FOR FOURTH YEAR:

ORS SERVICES CONTRIBUTE TO HONOR

TRAVEL-TIPS

ORS CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING INITIATIVE

IN MEMORY OF LISA POSTELL

NIH BUILDING AND CAMPUS

EVACUATION INFORMATION

GET ASSISTANCE ON

ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL RESEARCH

MAP OF ADDITIONAL PARKING - TEMPORARY

PARKING AREAS AND NEW STACKING LOCATIONS
2

number of misunderstandings and

many commented on the complexity

of the subject.

H-1B (Temporary Worker)

workshop The H-1B session 

provided an overview of the process

for the IC to recruit a foreign scientist

as a temporary worker (i.e., H-1B).

They outlined the necessary steps

and how NIH policies affect the use

of this visa. New forms that help

streamline the process were introduced.The administrative staff was

appreciative of the information.

Many were surprised to learn the IC

is responsible for paying the foreign

scientist’s expenses to go back to

their home country if they fire

him/her while their H-1B is still

valid.

The J-1 Exchange Visitor 

workshop The J-1 session opened

with background information about

the Exchange Visitor Program and its

mission to promote educational and

cultural exchange between the people

of the U.S. and people of other

countries, and how the program has

grown since its implementation in

1961.Then such topics as the J-1 visa,

J-1 status, SEVIS (Student and

Exchange Visitor Information System),

renewals, transfers,and change of 

status to J-1 were discussed. Helpful

hints were given for filling out the

NIH forms that are sent to DIS to

bring foreign scientists and their

family members here from abroad.

INFORMATION

Jenny Stanley

301-496-6166

PARKING SPACES:

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

In the midst of continuing and 

overlapping construction projects

that leap from phase to phase, NIH's

ad hoc parking advisory committee

has come up with several temporary

parking options that resulted in 900

new spaces after September 24.

Five parking lots were converted

to stacked parking, creating more room

in each of those existing lots (when

lots 31C & 31J closed), and some

grassy areas were covered with gravel

to provide additional parking around

the National Library of Medicine

and the Metro station (when lots

31D, 31E, and 31G closed). The

gravel will be removed and reseeding

will take place once the extreme

parking crunch is over in late 2004.

At that time, two new parking

garages will be completed. In each

case, the new options offset the loss

of spaces at the 31 lots.

Earlier in September the 

parking committee: added 200 offcampus parking spaces at Mid-Pike

Plaza and extended shuttle bus hours

serving that lot; acquired 200 NIHdedicated spaces in the Twinbrook

Metro garage; extended shuttle bus

hours to both Executive Plaza and

Rockledge rental buildings; and designated as "campus drop-off points"

three areas-- the entrances at Wilson

Drive and Rockville Pike, South

Drive and Old Georgetown Road,

and the "kiss-and-ride" lane near the

Metro station.

"We still expect something of 

a shortfall in total parking availability,

so we are urging employees to consider alternatives to driving themselves to work every day," said Dr.

Michael Gottesman, NIH deputy

director for intramural research and

chair of the parking committee.

According to Stella Serras-Fiotes,

director of facilities planning with

the Office of Research Facilities,

construction began in late September

of the following:

■ the stormwater 

management facility 

■ the North Drive 

vehicle entrance, and 

■ Lab 33 with its 1250-car garage 

This construction eliminates

over 800 parking spaces near

Building 31. Construction of the

900-car multi-level parking garage

near Building 10, known as MLP-9,

will begin in December, eliminating

another 200 spaces.

It is important that the NIH

community remain committed to

programs like Transhare, telecommuting, and the alternative work schedule, increasing the number of people

who participate in each.The ad hoc

parking advisory committee has also

looked into how the NIH schedules

meetings, to determine whether

more flexible scheduling can result in

fewer campus visits.

TRANSHARE

The Transhare program of subsidized

public transportation for NIH’ers has

grown to 4,700 subscribers, reports

Tom Hayden, transportation planner

in the Office of Research Facilities.

"There isn't any ceiling on the number of employees who can take

advantage of this option, so we

always welcome more," he said.

TELEWORK AND

TELECOMMUTING 

Executive officers at each institute

and center are being encouraged to

figure out how more NIH'ers can

either work from home or from 

offsite hubs connected to campus by

computer.

NEWS2USE
ISSUE 4 OCTOBER 2003 

ALTERNATIVE WORK SCHEDULES

(AWS)

Broadening the availability of 

AWS will reduce the number of days

employees come to campus.

Employees who participate in AWS

work longer hours each of 9 days in

a two-week period and take the

tenth day off.

Every person who makes an

appropriate schedule change reduces

parking pressure. Dr. Gottesman said

that if each employee who currently

drives to work can find an alternative

at least once every month, and if

only half the employees use alternative modes twice as often, it would

have a significant impact on NIH

parking.

Dr. Gottesman and everyone

involved in parking management is

hoping that supervisors and employees

understand that this is a community

issue, and they need to play a part in

strategies around limited parking

availability. If not, unpleasant actions

might have to take place, such as

denying permits to certain groups.

To raise awareness of the 

problem and the many solutions, Dr.

Gottesman’s committee is getting the

word out with flyers on vehicle

windshields and in office hallways,

e-mail updates, stories in the NIH

Record and News2Use, and a parking website at http://parking.nih.gov.

He is also open to suggestions from

anyone and everyone on campus.

"Every idea we've discussed in our

committee has in some way echoed

concerns that have come to us via

emails and calls from employees," he

told the NIH Record.

INFORMATION

http://parking.nih.gov

SATELLITE PARKING REMINDERS

There are three off-site parking options for

NIH employees and contractors with NIH

ID badges and an NIH parking permit.

Shady Grove Metro Station-150

spaces are available.

Twinbrook Metro Station- There are

200 new spaces available at the garage

off of Halpine Road near the intersection

with Chapman Avenue.

Mid-Pike Plaza- 400 spaces are available at the northern boundary of the

shopping center near Montrose Road.

The NIH Shuttle operates from 5:45 a.m.

until the last shuttle trip ends at Mid-Pike

Plaza at 9:30 p.m.

Listen to NIH Radio- Remember to

listen to 1610 AM radio if you are

parking on campus and want to hear

traffic advisories about the effects of

construction and other factors on

openings and closings of entrances,

and for any emergency information.

INFORMATION

Tom Hayden

301-496-5037

EXACTLY WHERE IS THIS 

ADDITIONAL PARKING?

Map of additional Parking: Back page and

http://parking.nih.gov/parkinglots.cfm

÷ The National

Library of Medicine:

• Front lawn, Rockville Pike side,

beside Center Dr. (110 spaces)

• Adjacent to the vehicle inspection 

tent on the back lawn (40 spaces)

• Adjacent to Building 32 (70 spaces)

÷ The Metro station:

Two large lots situated on either 

side of the Metro station

• Just north of Building 17 and 

behind Building 21 (170 spaces)

• Behind Stone House (Building 16) 

(170 spaces) 

÷ Stacked Parking Lots 

• Lot 41B-C (230 spaces)

• ACRF Garage, P1 level (60 spaces) 

• Lot 10H, on the south side of 

the Clinical Center (50 spaces)

• Lot 21B, known colloquially as 

"the pit," near Building 21 (30 spaces)

• Lot 31B, just outside the B-wing

entrance to Building 31 (50 spaces)
3 4

NEWS2USE

SECURITY & EMERGENCY

RESPONSE TO BETTER

SERVE THE NIH

The NIH has always depended upon

the Division of Public Safety (DPS),

Office of Research Services to provide a safe and secure environment.

During this past year as a part of an

overall ‘delayering’ and restructuring

of the ORS, the Division of Public

Safety was organized into five new

divisions to improve functionality.

The Security & Emergency Response

services have been established to 

better meet the conditions that we

now face and offer a safer, more

secure environment for everyone at

an NIH campus or facility.

The Security & Emergency

Response cluster of services, under

the Office of Research Services, provides many of the same services that

were performed by the Division of

Public Safety, but the services have

been updated and enhanced to 

better meet new security regulations,

policies and guidelines for federal

facilities.

Security & Emergency Response

services are comprised of five 

divisions:

■ Police 

■ Fire/Rescue Services

■ Fire Marshal

■ Physical Security Management 

■ Emergency Preparedness and

Coordination

The newest division, Physical

Security Management, was established to focus on developing,

reviewing and managing physical

security requirements - including

electronic security and surveillance

systems - at NIH campuses and

facilities.

All of these programs work

together in an integrated fashion to

provide security and life safety to the

NIH campuses and facilities.

Responsible for all security and life

safety programs, the Security &

Emergency Response specific 

services include:

■ Police services 

■ Emergency response to all fires,

medical emergencies, rescue, and

any hazardous material incidents

on the NIH campus 

■ Fire protection engineering and

inspection services

■ Fire investigations 

■ Emergency planning

■ Security guard services

■ Physical security 

■ Hospital security

■ Public education and 

training programs 

A new website will be available

shortly with more detailed information about the services.

INFORMATION

Security & Emergency Response

301-496-6893

PERIMETER SECURITY:

A 3-ELEMENT SYSTEM

"It's important to know that our

security program is much more than

a fence," says Arturo Giron, deputy

chief security officer, Security and

Emergency Response Program. He

knows all about security, chairing

two of the three NIH security committees and sitting on a third.The

perimeter fence, due for completion

early in 2004, offers the physical

security of a barrier, as does a plan to

harden the exteriors of certain key

buildings nearest the perimeter with

a special glazing material for the

windows.Two other elements — a

campus Visitor Center Complex and

a Central Vehicle Inspection facility

for all commercial vehicles — offer

additional protection.

The three elements were not

all put on the same schedule, mainly

to preserve parking, but over the

long term, they will work together

in an integrated fashion to create a

total perimeter security program.

Life inside the fence will 

not be free-wheeling, even after all

security measures are in place and

we are relying more on electronic

access systems (proximity cards).

"Buildings that have a lot of traffic,

and those with special status, will

continue to have security guards,"

Giron explained.

FENCE DETAILS

In addition to the nine-foot pickets

that make up the fence, there are

eight pedestrian-only gates located

around the perimeter, two each at

the following locations:

● along Cedar Lane

● along Rockville Pike

● along Old Georgetown Road

● along the south side of campus

They will open with proximity

cards.There are another eight pedestrian/vehicle entrances, as well as

anti-ram defensive measures including vehicular cable barriers that run 
parallel to the fence in vulnerable

spots.The cables can best be seen

along Cedar Lane. Stella SerrasFiotes, director of facilities planning

in the Office of Research Facilities,

adds that "We have incorporated

natural barriers --including streams

and trees-- into the security system

to stop potential ramming." 

Each of the eight vehicle

entrances includes a "rejection lane"

for cars that fail initial visual inspection.This lane will also serve as a

drop-off point for riders coming to

campus.A "mini kiss-and-ride" is

being considered for inclusion at the

Cedar Lane patient (and patient 

visitor) entrance at West Drive.

Serras-Fiotes and Giron 

want to be sure NIH'ers know that

the perimeter fence will not be used

to keep employees in, even in the

event of a Code Red emergency.

"We can restrict access onto campus,"

said Giron, "but we can't restrict

access out. Anyone who needs or

wants to get out can do so anytime

they want." Even under Code Red,

exit options for vehicles won't be

restricted; there will always be eight

ways to drive off campus. In the

event of campus evacuation, a controlled-phase dismissal plan would

take effect.

For detailed evacuation information, go

to www.nih.gov/od/ors/security/

evacplan.htm

THE VISITOR CENTER COMPLEX

The Visitor Center complex that will

be near the Medical Center Metro

station is made up of two buildings.

The center, on the south side of the

intersection of Center Drive and

Rockville Pike, is where all visitors

will be processed in a welcoming

way. The second building is an

underground multi-level parking

garage where visitors can leave their

vehicles.They will not be inspected

since they are not coming on campus.This will be the only parking

facility outside our fence.A nearby 

shuttle bus will provide transportation all around campus.The "Kiss

and Ride" option at this site will be

restored to its prior status once the

complex is finished.

Clinical Center patients and

their visitors won't be forced to use

the Visitor Center complex.

Although that option will be available, a separate entrance is being

established for them at Cedar Lane

and West Drive.

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE

INSPECTION (CVI) FACILITY 

The third element of perimeter

security is the CVI facility on the

northeast corner of campus along

Rockville Pike just south of Cedar

Lane, where 90 percent of commercial traffic approaches the campus.

Multiple technologies will be used

to inspect these vehicles. "We'll be

able to do chemical explosive trace

analysis, and K-9 teams will be permanently stationed there," Giron

said. "We'll do visual inspections of

vehicles, and there will be a pit for

examining the undercarriage."

TIMELINE

The fence and gates are on schedule

to be installed by this January (2004).

The Visitor Center complex is

slated for completion in 2006; a

double-wide trailer will be used for

the same purposes in the interim.

The CVI is due to be finished

in the fall of 2005.

POLICE AND FIRE

Since campus security requires 

more than the perimeter system, the

NIH police force has been strengthened, from a pre-9/11 force of 50

officers to more than 70 at the present time, increasing to 90 by the

beginning of 2004.The NIH has

also increased the number of

unarmed guards to check ID's and

inspect vehicles. Our excellent fire

department has expanded capability

with the acquistion of a tower truck

that can reach up to 100 feet.The

firefighters are also very close to

moving in to a new firehouse.

SECURITY MANAGEMENT 

The NIH's chief security officer is 

Stephen Ficca, Director of the 

Office of Research Services;Arturo

Giron is deputy chief security officer.

Contributions to our post-9/11 policies have been made by professional

consultants, senior-level managers,

and rank-and-file employees who

provide a practical reality check.

Three groups provide ongoing 

guidance.

CABS: the Community

Advisory Board for Security

Chaired by NIMH scientific director

Dr. Robert Desimone, it includes

institute and center scientific directors and many senior staff members.

Its mission is governance issues such

as convenience and overall impact on

the NIH community.

SOAC: the Security Operations

Advisory Committee

Chaired by Giron and populated

with operations managers who have

significant input into the security

program. Members include the chiefs

of police and fire, senior operations

managers from across NIH central

services as well as nationally recognized outside consultants.

The Monday Operations Group:

also chaired by Giron, it meets every

second Monday and includes managers one level down from the

SOAC members.Their concerns are

day-to-day issues that need to be

handled immediately.

The Division of Emergency

Preparedness and Coordination:

this fourth body, a part of the ORS,

has a natural connection to these

security plans in its role revamping

the NIH continuity of operations

program (COOP) that takes effect

when significant emergencies occur.

INFORMATION

http://security.nih.gov

ISSUE 4 OCTOBER 2003 
NEWS2USE

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FOOD SERVICES LISTSERV:

SIGN UP BY NOVEMBER 21

FOR A SPECIAL HOLIDAY

DISCOUNT COUPON

"The sole purpose of our listserv is

to inform NIH employees of all the

money saving programs that we have

in our dining centers, coffee bars,

and concession stands," said Dwayne

Parris, NIH Food Services Project

Officer. "In addition, we want to

share the latest information about

healthy food options that can

enhance your lifestyle." 

The Office of Research

Services and Eurest Dining Services

have already partnered to bring NIH

employees food service programs and

promotions designed to satisfy most

customers’ needs.They are also 

partnering with other food service

providers to set up promotional 

programs and healthy choices. They

welcome suggestions.

Starting in September, the 

listserv will announce bi-monthly

updates on various food savings and

tips and other programs initiated in

our food service areas.The following

promotions and programs have been

offered this year:

• $2.99 Breakfast Specials 

• Customer Appreciation Menu

(Discount Lunch Entrees) 

• 25% Off Salad Bar Week 

• ORS Worksite Wellness Lecture

Series 

• Healthy Vending Options Program 

TO JOIN THE LISTSERV:

http://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1

=foodservices-l&A=1

For additional information about the

NIH Food Services Program, visit

http://www.nih.gov/od/ors/dss/

special/food.htm

INFORMATION 

To make a suggestion or 

share a comment:

Dwayne Parris 

301-402-8180 

NIH AWARDEDWORKPLACE

EXCELLENCE SEAL FOR

FOURTH YEAR: ORS

SERVICES CONTRIBUTE TO

HONOR

The Maryland Work-Life Alliance

designated the NIH as an Excellent

Place to Work for our efforts to support employees at work, at home,

and in the community.This is the

fourth year that NIH has received

this recognition.

The annual Work-Life Alliance

award is based on an application that

inquires about all aspects of NIH

employee services and programs.

Many of the programs offered

through ORS played an important

role in our Excellent Place to Work

designation.

The ORS programs included

in the application were:

◆ Employee Assistance Program

◆ On-site child care 

◆ Recreation & Welfare Association

(fitness/wellness, philanthropic and

community activities) 

◆ Occupational Medical Services

clinic 

◆ CPR training 

◆ Emergency planning and preparedness 

◆ Ergonomics support and assistance

◆ Transportation subsidy

We would like to thank everyone

who manages and staffs these programs for their hard work and their

dedication to making NIH a great

place to work.

INFORMATION

The NIH Work/Life Center

301-435-1619 

TTY 301-480-0690

The Maryland Work/Life Alliance

www.worklifemontgomery.org/

award4.html

TRAVEL-TIPS

The new NBS Travel System is now

open for business and began accepting travel requests for trips commencing October 1, 2003. Omega,

the NIH Travel Management Center

(TMC), is aware of the new system,

and they eagerly await the new

Travel Authorizations.

Omega agents need the 

following eight items:

❶ Travel Document Number

(TRXXXXX). This number is

assigned by the system and follows

the document through the

voucher process.

❷ Traveler's Name

❸ Project Number (this replaces the

previous CAN) to be assigned

❹ Object Classification Code (OC)

located on the same line as the

Project Number

❺ Cost of the airfare

❻ TMC service fee: ensure that the 

appropriate fee is applied

❼ Trip beginning and end dates

❽ Electronic Approval signature

(or in some cases manual i.e.,

Office of the Director) on the

last page of the Travel

Authorization 
ISSUE 4 OCTOBER 2003 

8

Remember Omega still needs your

Travel Orders.After an electronic

approval signature has been obtained,

you should attach your preview copy

of the Travel Authorization (PDF

form) in an e-mail to Omega.

Omega is aware that the signature

will be located on the last page.This

document may also be printed and

faxed to Omega.

Omega's e-mail address:

nihmd@owt.net

Omega's fax number: 301-984-2217

Listserv

Join this valuable resource by going

to: http://list.nih.gov 

select "Browse" 

type in the word "Travel"

select the option "NIH_Travel_L"

select "Join" and enter your name and email address

INFORMATION

Ellen Grant

301-402-8180 

TMC Project Office

http://www.nih.gov/od/ors/dss/special/trav

el.htm

ORS CUSTOMER SERVICE

TRAINING INITIATIVE

Customer service is an experience

that should start when you first step

on the NIH campus, not just when

you approach a provider about a specific service.The ORS Customer

Service training initiative, started in

2000 in the Clinical Center (CC),

goes beyond traditional customer

service training.The primary goal is

to change the customer service culture on campus.

The training provides a common understanding of the skills and

strategies necessary to deliver excellent customer service: effective communication, dealing with difficult

customer situations, building partnerships, and discovering and eliminating barriers to good customer

service. Some of the things people

learn in this training can be taken

from the work setting to use at

home.This refreshing approach not

only gives employees new insights

and tips on developing or improving

their customer service skills, but also

provides an opportunity for discussions about the barriers that prevent

good customer service, whether they

are operational, managerial, financial,

or from some other source.The

training is very interactive; audience

participation is lively.

To demonstrate ORS' commitment to this program, ORS Director

Steve Ficca had his senior management lead by example — they were

some of the first to take the training

recommended for all ORS employees, whether government or contractor.The coursework is customized,

with four-hour sessions for front-line

employees and six-hour sessions for

managers and supervisors.

The Clinical Center was committed to have ORS train all the

ORS employees working in the CC:

the executive team, every department head, manager, supervisor, and

employee in the hospital.The ORS

saw that partnering with the Clinical

Center on this initiative provided an

opportunity to forge a stronger

working relationship and to provide

the impetus and structure needed to

demonstrate ORS' commitment to

customer service excellence.After

the ORS CC employees completed

their training, the training was

expanded ORS-wide.

Training program leaders

Joanne Aaron and Ron Poole have

trained more than 900 students.They

report that people who enter the

room reluctantly come alive when

the barriers part of the session

begins.As the participants become

aware that their opinion counts and

is valued, it is empowering. Naming

barriers probably also lets off a little

steam, serving as a tension-releaser.

One specific example of a barrier that is worth highlighting is

about communicating. Remember,

not everyone who works for the

NIH has e-mail. Information should

be shared in a variety of ways.

Aaron and Poole believe that

one of the most important aspects of

the training is that employees and

contractors teach certain sections

side-by-side.Another is that every

person is encouraged to speak.Their

comments are kept anonymous,

identified only by department so that

change can be affected in the right

area.The classes are kept small, with

20 participants maximum.

Reports from the sessions go to

ORS executive management, and

then to the ORS Management

Council.

The customer service training

is just one of the many ongoing 

initiatives that the ORS has instituted

to improve service to the NIH 

community.

INFORMATION

Ron Poole 

301-402-1082
10

9

NEWS2USE

IN MEMORY OF

LISA POSTELL

The Office of Research Services

recently lost a valued co-worker and

friend, Lisa Postell.We will remember her for the contributions she

made to the NIH and her considerable assistance to our international

community.

Lisa came to the NIH in 1990

from the National Science

Foundation and was an Immigration

Specialist with the International

Services Branch (ISB), ORS. She

was a graduate of the University of

North Carolina,Wilmington, and an

active, dedicated member of the ISB.

Among her many duties, she was

responsible for creation of and management of NIH's J-1 visa documents and the filing of annual

reports with the Department of

State. She also participated in various

campus committees.As a valuable

member of the ISB, Ms. Postell

could always be depended on for

abundant input and suggestions on

how to better serve NIH's international community.

NIH BUILDING AND

CAMPUS EVACUATION

INFORMATION

The NIH has been working to

develop and implement an evacuation and dismissal program for various emergency situations.The ORS

Security & Emergency Response

services will provide dismissal information to each IC through a variety

of communication methods including:

■ ORS Information Line 

■ Global e-mail messages

■ Website updates 

■ Telephone calls to management

and emergency personnel 

■ NIH Radio 1610 AM emergency

radio frequency 

Online training for building 

evacuation and shelter in place is 

also available at: http://www.nih.gov/od/

ors/dps/emb/index.htm. Take the time

to educate yourself and your coworkers and prepare for the unexpected.

BUILDING EVACUATION

On campus, every building has an

Occupant Emergency Coordinator

(OEC) in charge of the evacuation

team for that specific building.To

identify your respective OEC, visit

http://www.nih.gov/od/ors/dps/emb/index

.htm. The OEC can provide you with

a list of the evacuation team members for your building.Training for

the team members and any interested building staff is available through

the Division of Emergency

Preparedness and Coordination, 301-

496-1985.

CAMPUS EVACUATION

In the event that several buildings or

the entire campus must be evacuated, employees and visitors will be

directed to leave the campus by the

nearest exit. NIH law enforcement,

security, and other personnel will

direct traffic and movement.The

roads around the center of campus

will be restricted to emergency

response vehicles as much as possible.

All roads into the NIH will be used

to dismiss the campus with the

exception of South Drive, which

will be open to two-way traffic to

accommodate emergency response

vehicles and allow access for employees with children at the child care

centers.

A campus map with evacuation

routes highlighted is available at:

http://www.nih.gov/od/ors/security/

evacplan.htm.

REGIONAL EVACUATION

In an evacuation that involves the

entire Washington region, the NIH

follows the direction provided by the

Office of Personnel Management

(OPM), General Services

Administration (GSA) and the

Federal Emergency Management

Agency (FEMA).These agencies

have developed a Federal Emergency

Decision and Notification Protocol

and will coordinate and communicate the early release of federal

employees with regional partners as

necessary. If the event causing the

evacuation takes place downtown,

that area would be evacuated first,

followed by the suburban areas. It is

important to follow the evacuation

instructions and avoid panic.

Remember, in a mass evacuation of

the Washington area, the primary

goal is to move as many people as

possible from potential sources of

harm.

NIH EMERGENCY RESPONSE

PERSONNEL

Our highly skilled and equipped Fire

and Police Departments are trained

to respond to emergency situations.

They utilize the Incident Command

System (ICS),a nationally recognized,

standardized management system for

responding to any emergency.Always

follow the directions of police or fire

department officials who serve as the

incident commander at emergency

sites.
ISSUE 4 OCTOBER 2003 

11

CAR AND VANPOOLS 

Carpool and vanpool members

should meet at their vehicle to 

expedite dismissal and avoid driving

through the campus.

PEDESTRIANS

If there is a need to leave the campus

by foot, you will be directed to

assembly points or shelters by NIH

Police.

OFF-CAMPUS 

NIH personnel in facilities off campus

will follow the guidance of their local

emergency management officials. For

emergency preparedness information

in Montgomery County, visit

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov.

INFORMATION

The NIH Occupant Evacuation Plan

http: //www1.od.nih.gov/oma/

manualchapters/management/1430

OPM Emergency Preparedness Guide:

http: //www.opm.gov/emergency/index.

asp#employee

Comprehensive NIH security 

information: http: //security.nih.gov

ORS Information Line website: http:

//www.nih.gov/od/ors/security/index.htm

Security for NIH visitors and patients:

http: //www.nih.gov/about/ 

visitorsecurity.htm

Non-emergency questions or comments:

ORS Information Line 301- 594-6677,

TTY 301- 435-1908 

orsinfo@mail.nih.gov

EMERGENCIES:

Voice - 911

TTY 301- 496-0063

GET ASSISTANCE ON

ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL

RESEARCH

You may think you know what is

meant by the "3 Rs," but if you are

a researcher working with animals

you know these 3 Rs refer to the

issues of reduction, refinement, and

replacement. If you are having 

trouble achieving these Animal

Welfare Act requirements in your

animal study proposals, NIH 

librarians can help by teaching you

how to efficiently search the 

biomedical literature for alternatives

in databases such as AGRICOLA,

Web of Science®, PsycINFO®, or

MEDLINE.They can also steer you

to additional databases specific to

your particular research project.

Groups or individuals requesting an alternatives tutorial receive

training customized to specific

needs.Aspects covered allow you to:

■ Learn which databases to use

when searching for alternatives in

animal research 

■ Find references to alternatives 

for a specific protocol 

■ Use LinkOut to obtain a 

full-text article from select journals 

■ Use thesauri to identify 

indexing terms 

■ Use Cubby and PORPOISE to

save search strategies 

■ Order articles from the NIH

Library using PubMed's 

Loansome Doc 

If you would prefer not to conduct

your own searches, or want an

expanded search, NIH librarians will

perform animal alternatives searches

for you in a wide range of databases,

many of which are not available to

end users. Results are e-mailed to

the requestor in a format agreed

upon between the librarian and the

requestor.A minimum notice of

three business days is preferred.

NIH researchers will find a

helpful tip sheet: Searching for

Alternatives to Painful Procedures

Used on Research Animals, and

other useful instruction guides, on

the NIH Library website:

http://nihlibrary.nih.gov under the

Training link. Links to alternatives

resources are located at the 

bottom of the Alternatives in Animal

Research page.

For more information about the

NIH Library’s research capabilities, to

request a search, or to request that a

librarian make a presentation at your

staff meeting, please e-mail Cindy

Clark at clarkc@ors.od.nih.gov.

INFORMATION

Cindy Clark

301-496-2186
MAP OF ADDITIONAL PARKING

http://parking.nih.gov/parkinglots.cfm

NEW TEMPORARY

PARKING AREAS 

(approx. count)

Lot T-16 = 170 Spaces

Lot T-17N = 170 Spaces

Lot T-38 = 110 Spaces

Lot T-45 = 70 Spaces

Medlars = 40 Spaces

NEW ATTENDANT -

ASSISTED PARKING

LOCATIONS

ACRF-P/1 = 60 Cars

Lot 41 B&C = 230 Cars

Lot 10H = 50 Cars

Lot 21B = 30 Cars

Lot 31B = 50 Cars

4 ISSUE OCTOBER 2003 OFFICE OF RESEARCH SERVICES

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Mr. Steve Ficca, Office of Research Services Director encourages

you to submit questions, comments and suggestions about the services the ORS provides to the NIH 

community. Either Mr. Ficca or someone from the ORS staff will personally respond to each question. Just 

e-mail, phone or fax your comments and questions to the appropriate location listed below.

For questions or comments about ORS services to the

NIH community, contact the ORS Information Line:

E-mail: ORSInfo@mail.nih.gov

Phone: 301-594-6677 

Fax: 301-402-2204 

Website: http://www.nih.gov/od/ors/security/index.htm

For questions or comments about articles in the

News2Use or to suggest future story ideas:

E-mail: ORSNews2Use@mail.nih.gov

NEWS2USE

News2Use is published on recycled paper by the 

OFFICE OF RESEARCH SERVICES

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

EDITOR Bradley Moss

WRITER Ann Cochran

ORS DIRECTOR Stephen A. Ficca 

LAYOUT DESIGN Medical Arts and Photography Branch

INTERNET ADDRESS www.nih.gov/od/ors

12