Appreciation for Support of the NIH Security Program
Over the past several months, you have received much information about the NIH Perimeter Security System (PSS or “the fence”) which becomes operational on Monday, August 29. This has been a substantial endeavor for many individuals across the NIH. The process has taken a year and a half from concept to implementation. The Office of Research Services (ORS) worked closely with the NIH Community Advisory Board for Security (CABS) to develop, review and test the PSS policies and procedures for employees, patients and visitors.
Our objective has been to provide the NIH with the appropriate level of security while offering as much convenience as possible. In fact, since security screenings will be conducted only once at the campus perimeter instead of at each building, this will foster an "open campus" atmosphere.
We are listening, understand your concerns and welcome your comments. Through your feedback we are able to refine the system and make improvements. Some examples of refinements that have been made over the past week are programming changes to allow both lanes of traffic to process simultaneously and operational changes to allow bicycles in the queue with vehicles to enter through the vehicle entrances.
We will continue to work with various constituents such as the child care community, the bicycle club, the neighborhood residents, vendors of critical services and supplies, etc., to research potential alternatives for enhancing our access capabilities to meet mission and security requirements.
The ORS Security and Emergency Response staff will be closely monitoring operations throughout next week and will make adjustments as necessary to keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible. We are continuing to review and refine policies and procedures, and with your cooperation, will successfully implement the NIH Perimeter Security System, meeting federal mandates yet still providing a collegial campus environment.
We appreciate your patience during the testing period and into next week when we all start using the PSS on a daily basis. Thank you for your support.
We invite you to send your comments and suggestions to the ORS Information Line at
orsinfo@mail.nih.gov, 301 594-6677, TTY 301-435-1908.