The Commission also pioneered the use of aircraft for firefighting in Australia.
 Aircraft were used for fire bombing, crew transport, aerial incendiary work, aerial photography, infrared cameras and reconnaissance.
 The first fire spotting aircraft was deployed on 18 February 1930 (RAAF Westland Wapiti) and the first helicopter (RAAF Sikorsky S-51 Dragonfly) was trialed at Erica not long after WW2 in 1949.
The organisation had been at the forefront of aircraft technology ever since.
 The Snowy Range airfield north of Heyfield, which is Australia's highest at 1600m (5300 feet) ASL, was built by the Commission in 1961 to help fight fires across the remote alpine area.
Its success led to the development of other firebombing airstrips such as the Victoria Valley in the Grampians.
Getting firefighters into difficult and inaccessible terrain quickly was a perennial problem.
The development of the rappelling – lowering of firefighters from a hovering helicopter, was first trialled at Heyfield in 1964, an Australian first, using a Bell 47G helicopter and a two-man crew.
The system was in place for the following two fire seasons but lapsed until the advent of more powerful helicopters like the Bell 204 and Bell 212 in the early 1980s.
The Commission also pioneered the use of aircraft for firefighting in Australia.  Aircraft were used for fire bombing, crew transport, aerial incendiary work, aerial photography, infrared cameras and reconnaissance.  The first fire spotting aircraft was deployed on 18 February 1930 (RAAF Westland Wapiti) and the first helicopter (RAAF Sikorsky S-51 Dragonfly) was trialed at Erica not long after WW2 in 1949. The organisation had been at the forefront of aircraft technology ever since.  The Snowy Range airfield north of Heyfield, which is Australia's highest at 1600m (5300 feet) ASL, was built by the Commission in 1961 to help fight fires across the remote alpine area. Its success led to the development of other firebombing airstrips such as the Victoria Valley in the Grampians.Getting firefighters into difficult and inaccessible terrain quickly was a perennial problem. The development of the rappelling – lowering of firefighters from a hovering helicopter, was first trialled at Heyfield in 1964, an Australian first, using a Bell 47G helicopter and a two-man crew. The system was in place for the following two fire seasons but lapsed until the advent of more powerful helicopters like the Bell 204 and Bell 212 in the early 1980s.
Forests Commission Victoria