From the mid-1930s to the 1970s, fire lookout towers played a vital role in protecting Western Australia’s south-west from bushfire devastation. However, as aviation technology became more accessible and affordable, the then Forests Department decided to take fire spotting one step higher—to the skies. The so-called ‘spotter squdron’ came to be in 1972 and this year celebrates 50 years of aerial bushfire detection operations.
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