CPI Team Safety & Site Protocols 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When investigating an abandoned building, what is the FIRST safety check a team should perform before entering?
- Test all electronic equipment for battery life
- Assess structural integrity of floors, ceilings, and staircases (Correct answer)
- Establish baseline EMF readings at the entrance
- Set up a central command station outside
Correct answer: Assess structural integrity of floors, ceilings, and staircases
Structural integrity assessment must come first to prevent falls, collapses, or entrapment during the investigation.
Question 2: A team member encounters an aggressive animal (e.g., stray dog) inside a reportedly haunted structure. What is the correct protocol?
- Continue the investigation and avoid the animal's area
- Attempt to befriend the animal with food from a kit
- Calmly retreat, alert the team, and evacuate if necessary (Correct answer)
- Capture the animal to remove it from the site
Correct answer: Calmly retreat, alert the team, and evacuate if necessary
Calm retreat and team notification prevents injury while keeping everyone informed of the hazard.
Question 3: Which buddy system rule is considered best practice for paranormal investigations?
- Investigators may work alone in well-lit areas
- Each investigator must always have at least one partner within visual or verbal contact (Correct answer)
- Buddy pairs must stay within 50 feet of each other at all times
- Buddies should separate to cover more ground efficiently
Correct answer: Each investigator must always have at least one partner within visual or verbal contact
Maintaining visual or verbal contact ensures immediate assistance if a team member is injured or incapacitated.
Question 4: What information should be included on a team's site entry log?
- Names of investigators, entry time, exit time, and emergency contacts (Correct answer)
- Equipment serial numbers and battery replacement schedules
- Historical details of reported paranormal activity at the site
- Photographs of each room taken prior to equipment placement
Correct answer: Names of investigators, entry time, exit time, and emergency contacts
Entry logs with personnel names, times, and emergency contacts enable rapid rescue response if someone becomes missing or injured.
Question 5: During an outdoor night investigation, a team member becomes disoriented and cannot locate the group. What should they do first?
- Use their EMF meter to detect team members' electronics
- Stay in place, activate a whistle or flashlight signal, and call out (Correct answer)
- Continue moving toward where they last saw the team
- Turn off all lights to avoid attracting unknown entities
Correct answer: Stay in place, activate a whistle or flashlight signal, and call out
Staying in place and signaling prevents further disorientation and makes it easier for the team to locate the lost member.
Question 6: Which hazardous material is commonly found in pre-1980s buildings and poses a serious inhalation risk during paranormal investigations?
- Lead-based paint chips
- Asbestos in insulation, ceiling tiles, or floor tiles (Correct answer)
- Radon gas from basement foundations
- Carbon monoxide from old heating systems
Correct answer: Asbestos in insulation, ceiling tiles, or floor tiles
Asbestos was widely used in construction before its ban and can release carcinogenic fibers when disturbed during investigations.
Question 7: A property owner grants verbal permission for an investigation but no written documentation is obtained. What should the team do?
- Proceed since verbal consent is legally sufficient
- Decline the investigation until written permission is obtained (Correct answer)
- Begin the investigation and draft the permission form afterward
- Limit the investigation to the exterior of the property only
Correct answer: Decline the investigation until written permission is obtained
Written permission protects the team legally and documents the scope of authorized access before any investigation begins.
CPI Team Safety & Site Protocols 2
When investigating an abandoned building, what is the FIRST safety check a team should perform before entering?