Firefighters train for wildfires

Santa Barbara firefighters practiced for a real wildfire Wednesday at Parma Park.

Firefighters practiced what to do if they find themselves surrounded by flames, with no way out.

They quickly set up fire shelters. They look like small tents made of foil. They block flames and heat up to 500 degrees.

“There’s a lot of things put in place to make sure we don’t get into these situations. We’re human and sometimes things get missed. So, this is sort of our backup plan, firefighter Jason Fernandez said.

Fire officials say more than 300 firefighters have been saved by fire shelters.

Wildland firefighters are required to carry a fire shelter.