44.This section provides an employee of a relevant authority who has written authorisation from that authority with powers to do what he reasonably thinks necessary to deal with fires, road traffic accidents and other emergencies. It replaces section 30(1) of the 1947 Act which was limited to dealing with extinguishing or preventing the spread of fires and recognises the wider range of duties of fire fighters, including the work which fire authorities do in responding to road traffic accidents.