[39. Regional fire emergency---(1) When weather or other conditions
 exist which, in the opinion of the Secretary of Forestry, present an
 extreme fire hazard whereby life and property may be endangered by
 spreading vegetation fires, or when any vegetation fires have spread or
 appear to the Secretary of Forestry to be likely to spread beyond the
 district of a single fire authority, the Secretary of Forests may, in
 the public interest, appoint a Principal Rural Fire Officer or other
 appropriate Fire Officer to take charge for the purposes of this Act in
 any area, whether included in more than one district or not.

   (2) The Secretary of Forestry shall notify the Fire Authority of each
 district affected of the name of the Fire Officer whom the Secretary of
 Forestry has appointed to take charge under this section.

   (3) In any case where the Secretary of Forestry has appointed a Fire
 Officer to take charge of any area as aforesaid that Fire Officer shall
 have, in respect of that area, all the powers, authorities, and
 immunities of a Principal Rural Fire Officer under this Act as if the
 whole of that area was a Rural Fire District, and all the provisions of
 this Act shall, with any necessary modification, apply accordingly.

   (4) Fire Officers and other officers of the Fire Authority District
 affected shall be subject to the authority of any person appointed under
 subsection (1) of this section and shall carry out all instructions
 given by that person or on that person's behalf.]

       This section was substituted for the original s. 39 by s. 32 (1)
     of the State-Owned Enterprises Act 1986.