Some California National Guard C-130 tankers, like this one, still have not been set up to fight fires despite pressure on the administration.

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LOS ANGELES — Despite pressure from elected officials and the military, the Bush administration has yet to equip some California National Guard planes for firefighting — a delay that could have grave implications during the worst of the wildfire season.

After last year's devastating blazes killed 10 people, charred 800 square miles and destroyed nearly 2,200 homes in the state, the head of the military's Northern Command said he would push to get the C-130 aircraft into the sky.

And Gov. Arnold Schwarz-enegger warned President Bush in April that it "would be reckless" to face another fire season without the planes, which are among the state's most powerful aerial firefighting weapons.

Of eight C-130s based at the Channel Islands Air National Guard Station near Santa Barbara, none is equipped yet to fight fires.

The firefighting gear "is still under testing and validation," said Lt. Col. Jon R. Siepmann, a Guard spokesman.

"Lives are always on the line when you are dealing with this kind of public-safety issue," said Rep. Elton Gallegly, a Republican whose district stretches from the Los Angeles suburbs to Santa Barbara wine country.

Gallegly said he was assured as far back as 2003 that the planes would be in the air. "My frustration is at an all-time high."

During last year's fires, the lack of firefighting C-130s forced Schwarzenegger to ask the Pentagon to call in six older C-130s from states as far away as North Carolina. While other planes were flown in, the flames grew.

California's firefighting C-130 unit is one of four the Pentagon has positioned across the country to respond to fire disasters. About 30 helicopters and planes have already been used to attack the state's most recent round of wildfires.

The grounded planes are typically called in when firefighters and other aircraft get overwhelmed by the flames. The aircraft have not yet been a factor in this week's wildfires, which have been far less severe than in 2007, when simultaneous fires burned from north of Los Angeles to the Mexican border.

But the fear is that conditions could worsen. October and November are considered the riskiest months for wildfires in Southern California.