FIRST and the formation of massive stars

Systematic observational programs are key tools for the study of the earliest stages of massive star formation. We review the status of a long term project that, starting from the IRAS Point Source Catalogue and going through a series of tests based on observational criteria, successfully produced a homogeneous sample of candidate intermediate and high mass protostars. We illustrate the importance of the FIRST mission for early massive star formation. As an example of FIRST's revolutionary impact for Galactic star formation, we will discuss the feasibility of a full Galactic plane. survey with SPIRE and subsequent follow-up with PACS and HIFI. We believe that for the impact of the scientific return, and the optimum usage of the facility, this project possesses the cachet of a FIRST key project.