TO: ALL ARES OPERATORS IN DISTRICT 3 (OFFICIAL)
ALL AMATEURS IN WEST VIRGINIA (INFORMATION)
FROM: WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED AND WOOD
COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICES (ARES)
ARES DISTRICT 3 BULLETIN NR 07.39 DATE: September 30, 2007
SUBJECT: EMPTY CARDBOARD BOXES
With the resent activities around the local High Schools and Collages I thought we might revisit this bulletin. What do you do with your empty packing boxes when you’re through with them? Do you just throw them away, or do you reuse them? With the heightened security alert since the terrorist attract on the United States on September 11, 2001, Americans are looking at ways to keep themselves safe. You don't have to be paranoid, but there are ways to keep your discarded boxes and packing material from being used against you or someone else. If you just got a shipment of something from a well known dealer, and the shipping container and packing material is still in good shape, someone who wants to do you or someone else harm, might just want to have it. Just think what you could do with a real nice looking cardboard box. The box could be re-filled with some kind of destructive device, or hazardous material, and have a new shipping label attached. The package could then be shipped to someone, or some business that receives packages on a regular basis. Not realizing the newly re-packaged container could be a disastrous event when it's opened. There are a lot of businesses that just discard their old shipping boxes and packing material in their local refuse container. If these boxes and material are in good shape, someone could just take them out and use them. If you are not going to reuse the shipping box, either mark the box with the word "TRASH", or destroy it beyond re-use before discarding it. It will only take a few minutes to make the shipping container unusable to someone who wants to do harm to someone else.
(Reprinted, with modifications of, ARES Zone 3 Bulletin NR 01.47)
Ken Harris WA8LLM
Wood County WV
WV ARES Assistant Section Coordinator
WV ARES District 3 Emergency Coordinator