Gladwyne firefighters started early this Sunday on a special opportunity to practice our skills. The Haverford School allowed access to one of their school buildings before upcoming demolition. This drill was a rare opportunity for firefighters to practice their skills not only in an unfamiliar floor plan, but in a commercial school building with large rooms and lots of obstacles. Upon arrival firefighters practiced forcible entry techniques on the second floor while the first floor was filled with smoke machines. Firefighters then practiced search and rescue operations under near blackout conditions, with simulated hoarding conditions to further challenge the team. Gladwyne firefighters utilized new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) being placed in service throughout the township this month. The new SCBA contain significant jumps in technology from our current SCBA, including a small thermal imagining camera in each unit, allowing every firefighter on the truck to have a potential life device. After a short break, firefighters moved up to the roof and were able to practice cutting both on a commercial flat roof and residential pitched roofs.