LOS ANGELES -- Citing the expected return of offshore winds, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Wednesday directed state agencies and the National Guard to be prepared for a possible new round of blazes in fire-ravaged Southern California.

"We're not out of the danger zone yet," he said at a news conference following a meeting in downtown Los Angeles with the California Association of Governments to discuss the state's response to the raft of wildfires that began swallowing acreage and homes on Oct. 20.

"We still have four fires (burning) ...," Schwarzenegger said, and are "watching the weather very closely."

The governor said there are aircraft in place if the winds pick up Friday night as expected, and emergency staff have been pre-positioned in areas with a high risk of fire based on winds projected through the weekend.

Stuart Seto, a forecaster with the National Weather Service, said the winds won't be as constant or fierce as the Santa Ana winds that spread the wildfires last week. But they will reach speeds of 20-30 miles per hour in the mountain passes and canyons, with gusts to 40 mph.

The strongest winds will occur Saturday between 6 a.m. and noon, according to forecasters, who said relative humidity will decrease to around 10 percent before midday and the winds will lessen late in the day.

Coupled with expected continued lower humidity through Wednesday, the weather conditions could warrant a Red Flag Warning, Seto said.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has 16 air tankers ready to be deployed, said Ruben Grijalva, the agency's director.

The aircraft are positioned in San Diego, Riverside, Paso Robles, Porterville, Fresno and Victorville. In addition, there are helicopters stationed in San Diego and Riverside.

Grijalva said there are now five aviation managers, also referred to as spotters, ready to fill the staffing numbers required to use military helicopters to fight fires.

"We can use one aviation manager per three helicopters, which means we can have 15 (military) helicopters (if needed)," he said.

Cal Fire officials were criticized at the start of the wildfires for not using military helicopters to supplement local choppers already fighting the fires.

Department officials said they did not have enough staffers to fly them safely and avoid mid-air collisions. They also cited wind conditions as a factor in the number of aircraft that could be in the air.

Schwarzenegger again defended the air response to the conflagrations.

He said the response to the fires was more efficient than "ever in the history of any disaster."

"We had aircraft up there," he said.

Cal Fire will also deploy fire engine teams throughout high-risk areas, while the National Guard will maintain a deployed presence of 1,500 guardsmen and women and six firefighting helicopters.

The governor praised the response of volunteers and local agencies to the wildfires, which he said illustrated the importance of everyone being prepared for emergencies.

"We're going to hold more meetings like this to learn how to respond better. There's always room for improvement," he said.

Schwarzenegger said the state was also working with the U.S. Forest Service to restore the burn areas in hopes of minimizing flooding and erosion.

In response to a question about the Buckweed fire, which was ignited by a boy playing with matches, the governor said he was not sure if the child should be prosecuted.

"We have to be careful and educate our children ... I'm sure he didn't mean any harm," Schwarzenegger said of the boy.

Firefighters are still working to fully surround four blazes: the Witch Fire in San Diego, which is 99 percent contained; the Poomacha Fire in northern San Diego County, 70 percent contained; the Slide Fire in San Bernardino County, 97 percent contained; and the Santiago Fire in Orange County, 80 percent contained.