CAL FIRE will receive seven C-130H aircraft this year to help fight wildfires, and one will be stationed at the Paso Robles Air Attack Base.
So far, five of the seven aircraft have been assigned to air attack bases in California.
The C-130 has greater fuel retardant reserves and will allow for faster wildfire response, fire officials say.
Tom Swanson, Assistant Chief for CAL FIRE SLO, detailed how the new aircraft will differ from the current tankers.
“The air tankers that we currently have based in Paso Robles are S2 Tracker Air Tankers that hold 1,200 gallons of retardant,” Swanson said.
The new C-130s will hold more than triple that amount: 4,000 gallons.
“The real advantage will be to use that extra retardant to put down on a fire that’s already well-established or may be threatening structures,” Swanson said.
Public Information Officer for CAL FIRE SLO Toni Davis added that the new aircraft will help support CAL FIRE’s goal of containment.
“It helps with containing the fires quicker and meeting our mission of keeping those fires under 10 acres,” Davis said.
The first of the seven C-130s is expected to deploy this fire season, but Paso Robles’ aircraft isn’t expected to be in service until fire season 2025.
