The Forest Service air tanker base at the Santa Maria Airport in northern Santa Barbara County, California, has played a supporting role in suppressing Central Coast wildfires for almost 20 years. Over that time, dependence on the base increased, and upgrades were made to ensure adequate capacity to fuel and reload retardant on a growing number of fixed-wing aircraft. In 2019, an additional reloading pit was added to the existing three, bolstering output and enabling the base to service more air tankers when new wildfires occur in and around the Los Padres National Forest.

While improvements were made to the flight line, the tanker base staff continued working in its original cramped location on the first floor of the Central Coast Jet Center on the south side of the airport. Beginning in 2018, efforts to provide adequate space for employees working in the operations center encountered funding challenges that pushed back construction on a new second-floor suite of offices, including an operations center nearly twice the size of the previous center.

As part of a new 20-year lease with the Jet Center in 2023, the government began construction on a new operations center encompassing 2,000 additional square feet. Work began in early 2025 and was completed just before two wildfires broke out on the Santa Lucia Ranger District in July and August.

“Having the additional space is instrumental in accommodating more personnel and improving our efficiencies,” said Los Padres Air Tactical Group Supervisor Alex Ihle.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Sept. 16 to officially open and highlight the new workspace. Dignitaries from the Pacific Southwest Regional Office attended the event along with Los Padres employees, Forest Service retirees and local reporters.

“This lease with the airport finally got us the funding to build out the upstairs of the building,” said Los Padres Aviation Officer Brian Sexton. “Our pilots and employees now have a proper space to work out of. It really improves the efficiency of the entire operation.”

Moving upstairs raises the vantage point for operations center staff, providing a true bird’s-eye view of the runway and ramp to coordinate refueling and reloading operations on future wildfires.