Fire and EMS related incidents are very common subjects for the media.  On largre incidents, news crews will show up with their vans and equipment with hopes of making the next big story for their newspaper or news station.  Not only are the news crews taking pictures of incidents like the ones shown here, but crew members and civilians are also taking digital pictures on their phones or "point and shoot" cameras on a regular basis.  For most people, incidents like large accidents and fires are not common so people are quick to take a quick snap shot however possible.
A picture can really tell a thousand words when it comes to Fire/EMS incidents.  Some pictures, however, are better than others. Posted below are pictures of tow incidents which both occurred here in Prince Georges County, MD.  The first is a shot of a structural fire in a restaurant. Pictures should be able to tell whoever is looking at them a story. I can see a great deal of information in this picture at a quick glance. I can see a ladder on the right, fire coming out of the roof, hose lines on the ground, and a 2 "deck guns" set up aimed at the fire.  I would consider this picture a good one because you can see a lot about whats happening on the fire ground.  Although many pictures can tell a thousand words, other "bad" pictures don't tell the intended viewer much about what was being photographed.  The picture at the bottom here is poor in that I have no clue what was going on inside of the building.  Although some incidents may be more difficult to photograph, I think the photographer of the last picture could have zoomed in to the people walking out of the building in order to get a better view of what's going on.  People will always take pictures(and videos) of fire incidents and the "good" ones really can tell a thousand words.