Critique of Wildfire Coverage

Ran across this article and found it interesting. One of the big criticisms is that stations weren't on early enough with fire coverage.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/opinions/ci_13277067

I don't know how accurate the article's criticisms are but I do know in big breaking news, it's crucial to get on the air quickly. It's all hands on deck. If you have a helicopter that can be over the scene, get it there. No copter? Try to get a live truck with a mastcam that can provide a continuous shot. Ask viewers for their pics. Use google earth to get a sense of the area.

Get everyone working the phones to find information and guests your anchors can interview live (police, Red Cross, fire, people living in the area, businesses).
Do whatever you can to get viewers the information they need. Especially in fire situations, this information is BEYOND crucial. People will use it to make decisions that impact their lives.

((One final aside-- if this is an area with place names your anchors don't use often, get pronoucers when you're calling police/fire for info.))