On Monday, Thursday and Friday this week, the Santa Barbara City Fire Department will be conducting wildland fire training.

In cooperation with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, city firefighters will be training to resupply and support helicopter operations during wildfires.

During both the Tea and Jesusita fires, helicopters were critical to fire-control operations and saved countless homes. Santa Barbara is one of the few places in the country where firefighting helicopters operate at night.

This training will be conducted at Elings Park and water drops will be made in Hondo Canyon near Miramonte Drive. There is no live fire involved in the drills, and helicopter activity in the area is for drill purposes only.

— Pat McElroy is battalion chief for the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.