SHELTER-IN-PLACE GUIDELINES FOR NIH EMPLOYEES

From: ORS Information Line

Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2003 3:31 PM

Subject: Shelter-in-Place Guidelines for NIH Employees

May 21, 2003

In the event the NIH would need to react immediately to a crisis situation, the following "Shelter-in-Place" guidelines have been developed to aid NIH employees. These guidelines apply to any emergency or potential emergency caused by natural disasters, chemical, radiological, or biological incidents, terrorist threats and other crisis situations where the safest course of action for an employee would be to remain inside a building.

Recent heightened security on campus due to potential terrorist threats to government employees and facilities emphasizes the importance of these guidelines. However, the NIH wants to assure employees, these guidelines are not being issued as a result of the recent elevation of the national threat level. Rather, these guidelines, created in consultation with the NIH Community Advisory Board for Security (CABS), are being issued to aid all employees in the event of any future emergency situation.

Shelter-in-Place Guidelines for NIH Employees

In the event of an emergency during the workday, you may be advised to seek shelter-in-place. The term “shelter-in-place” means to seek immediate shelter inside a building and to remain there until an all-clear signal has been given. The term has historically been used in an instance of weather emergency, such as a hurricane. However, shelter-in-place will now be used in any situation when the safest course of action is to remain in place for a short period, such as when there is a phased dismissal of the campus following an emergency. Although such shelter should not last more than a few hours, you should make sure that you have available appropriate supplies, such as drinking water and any medications that you might need. In some situations, you may be asked to remain at your workstation, and in others, to relocate to a pre-determined location. In the event of an emergency that requires you to shelter-in-place, you will be provided more detailed instructions specific to the building in which you work.

Some key points to keep in mind are:

Keep calm – follow these directions.
If you are outdoors, go inside immediately to an area designated by your EO.
Do not attempt to leave campus to pick up children or other family members – they will likely be sheltering in place wherever they are located.
Unless you have an emergency in your shelter, stay off the phones, including personal cell phones. It is critical to keep lines open for fire, police, medical and other responders, for people reporting emergencies to 911, and for other official communications.
Also note that shelter-in-place is the default mode of the Clinical Center in most emergencies because of the impracticalities of evacuating patients and the low likelihood of an emergency that would require evacuation of the entire building.

USEFUL WEBSITES AND CONTACT INFORMATION:

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

Security for NIH visitors and patients Spanish language version:
http://www.nih.gov/about/spanvisit.htm

OPM Emergency Preparedness Guide:
http://www.opm.gov/emergency/index.asp#employee

Non-emergency questions or comments:
ORS Information Line - 594-6677, TTY- 435-1908 or [email protected] .
Emergencies: voice - 911; TTY - 496-0063.