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Before you even begin to think about possibly considering to undertake any sort of vadding (tunneling, drain exploration, elevator mischief, or any other activities that expose you to physical or legal risk), you should have a good understanding of what you’re getting in to. You should also understand that with success, you’ll be entering into new environments, each with their own set of dangers. Even when you’re visiting a place you’ve been thousands of times, one small change is all it takes to ruin your day, if you make an assumption of the facts instead of cautiously checking them.
That said, let’s talk about safety a little. As always, this is largely common sense.
Global Rules:
Don’t drink and vad. If you need an explanation, don’t vad at all.
Always work with a partner. They can help extract you from nasty situations, notice something your eyes missed, carry equipment, and, if nothing else, verify your claims to the doubting masses.
Acknowledge the danger signs. If it says "danger: high voltage," you can bet that it contains something dangerously high in voltage. If it warns of being toxic, it probably is. If it has an asbestos warning, stay clear. You don’t have to heed most signs, but always be aware of the message and take the appropriate precautions.
Don’t damage or steal anything. If you move things, try to put them back. Don’t turn knobs, move valves, or throw fuses. As cavers say, "take only pictures, leave only footprints." This is as much courtesy as it is prudence. Especially if you are later caught. Which brings me to...
Keep your story straight. There should be a reasonable explanation for why you’re in a closed building after hours, so that when you run in to the inevitable janitor, you are less likely to appear suspicious. If you are caught somewhere for which this is no "reasonable" explanation in the eyes of the administration or security, then you always should have the truth (fabricated or otherwise) to fall back upon, and everyone in your group should know this truth and his or her role in it. The fact that you haven’t done any damage will only help, but you are trespassing, an illegal offense punishable by fines, jail sentence, and of course, academic dicipline.
Tools:
Backpack. You’ll want to carry a lot of stuff comfortably. Additionally, on a college campus, it’s local garb and good cover.
Kneepads. If you end up in a sub basement, a low-ceiling’d tunnel, or other crawlspace, you’ll regret not having these. Try to get a wrap-around pair, rather than the velcro snap variety, which never seem to last. Wear them underneath your pants to avoid undue suspicion.
Gloves. You’ll probably be pawing some awfully dirty stuff. You may also be touching some hot pipes. If nothing else, it’s one layer of protection between your hands and the substance X you accidentally leaned into.
Clothing. Wear comfortable and inexpensive clothes. Don’t wear anything that you’re unwilling to lose. You’ll probably want them to be loose-fitting, considering all the standing, stretching, ducking, climbing, and crawling you may need to do, but keep things reasonable and avoid machines with exterior moving parts. You may also want to leave the flourescent orange jacket at home in favor of something a subtle shade of black. Jeans and a T-shirt seem to be the optimal starting point.
Shoes. Or rather, boots. You’ll be doing a bit of walking and jumping. Seriously consider a pair of hard-soled boots.
Multiple battery-operated lights. One light per group is foolish, and even one light per person is inadvisable, if you’re heading into actual tunnels. Sooner or later, you’ll be in a situation where you will need light to leave. Bring spare batteries. Seriously consider head-mounted lights (Wal-Mart sells an inexpensive model) as well as the eternally useful maglite. In the case of outdoor drain work, you also have the option of carbide lighting, but don’t use one without first learning the basics and understanding the risks of having an open flame and a flammable gas, which are outside the scope of this document.
Screwdrivers. Sometimes, all that’s stopping you from getting somewhere are a few screws. Don’t let a few screws stop you from getting somewhere. Flatheads are also often useful for manipulating small interlocking metal objects. Bring a philipshead and a flathead. Make sure they’re solid ones that can be replaced if broken (e.g.: Craftsman from Sears.)
Knife or Credit Card. Some locked doors can be sprung open simply by sliding a flat object through the gap between door and joist. This is especially true of double doors. By knife, I suggest a dull butter knife. By credit card, I mean something flat and plastic (and without your info on it) that you don’t mind destroying over time.
Duct Tape. This can be used for everything from keeping self-locking doors open to keeping your shoe on when the shoelace breaks to patching your clothes. Duct tape is simply too useful to not have around.
Camera and Notepad. Hey, if you’re going to the trouble of getting places, you ought to at least document them for posterity. Consider a 35mm SLR system with tripod and remote TTL flash, but use a disposable with flash if it’s what you’ve got. Flashes, incidentally, aren’t necessary, if you can take extended-shutter pictures. (Many of the pictures featured here are shot with the shutter speed set to 30-second exposure.)
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