CPRE Facility Management and Maintenance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Playground safety inspections conducted by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) are governed primarily by standards from:
- OSHA workplace safety regulations
- ASTM International and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) (Correct answer)
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Correct answer: ASTM International and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
ASTM standards and CPSC guidelines define acceptable equipment design, fall zones, and surfacing requirements that CPSI inspections verify and enforce.
Question 2: A parks department wants to reduce energy costs across its recreation centers. Which approach provides the most comprehensive long-term savings?
- Replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs in common areas only
- Conducting energy audits and implementing an integrated energy management plan covering HVAC, lighting, and building envelope (Correct answer)
- Reducing facility operating hours during peak demand periods
- Installing programmable thermostats without further upgrades
Correct answer: Conducting energy audits and implementing an integrated energy management plan covering HVAC, lighting, and building envelope
A comprehensive energy management plan addresses the highest-impact systems holistically, yielding greater and more sustained cost reductions than isolated improvements.
Question 3: What is the key advantage of preventive maintenance over reactive maintenance for park facilities?
- Preventive maintenance eliminates all equipment failures
- Preventive maintenance reduces unplanned downtime and extends asset lifespan by addressing issues before failure occurs (Correct answer)
- Reactive maintenance always costs less in the short term
- Preventive maintenance requires no specialist training
Correct answer: Preventive maintenance reduces unplanned downtime and extends asset lifespan by addressing issues before failure occurs
By addressing wear and potential failure points on schedule, preventive maintenance avoids costly emergency repairs and extends the productive life of assets.
Question 4: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, existing park facilities undergoing alterations must:
- Only comply with ADA requirements if the alteration cost exceeds $500,000
- Ensure that altered elements and, to the maximum extent feasible, the path of travel to those elements comply with ADA Standards (Correct answer)
- Be completely rebuilt to full ADA compliance regardless of alteration scope
- Only comply if the facility was built after 1990
Correct answer: Ensure that altered elements and, to the maximum extent feasible, the path of travel to those elements comply with ADA Standards
ADA's path of travel requirement mandates that alterations trigger accessibility improvements in the affected area and its accessible routes, subject to a disproportionate cost threshold.
Question 5: A recreation center's HVAC system has exceeded its 20-year expected service life. The facility manager's first step should be to:
- Immediately issue an emergency replacement contract
- Commission a mechanical systems assessment and include the replacement in the capital improvement plan with cost projections (Correct answer)
- Continue running the system until it fails completely
- Outsource building operations to a private company
Correct answer: Commission a mechanical systems assessment and include the replacement in the capital improvement plan with cost projections
Planned replacement through the capital improvement process avoids emergency costs, allows competitive bidding, and aligns spending with budget cycles.
Question 6: Which chemical is the primary sanitizing agent regulated for use in public swimming pool water treatment?
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Free chlorine, typically maintained between 1 and 3 ppm per CDC and MAHC guidelines (Correct answer)
- Saltwater only
- Ozone at concentrations above 0.1 ppm
Correct answer: Free chlorine, typically maintained between 1 and 3 ppm per CDC and MAHC guidelines
Free chlorine at 1 to 3 ppm is the standard public health measure for inactivating pathogens in recreational water, as recommended by CDC and the Model Aquatic Health Code.
CPRE Facility Management and Maintenance 2
Playground safety inspections conducted by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) are governed primarily by standards from: