The man leading firefighting efforts in NSW had no idea 3000 army personnel would be sent to the worst hit areas until after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced it on the news.

Shane Fitzsimmons said he was 'disappointed' not to have been told of Mr Morrison's plan to deploy 3,000 army reserve members to the worst hit areas before Saturday's announcement.

Mr Fitzsimmons - the NSW Rural Fire Services commissioner - said to make matters worse the announcement came 'in the middle of one of our worst days this season'.

The revelation left Karl Stefanovic speechless, with the newly returned Today Show host labelling the prime minister 'arrogant'.

Karl Stefanovic (left) has labelled Prime Minister Scott Morrison 'arrogant' after the NSW Rural Fire Services commissioner revealed he did not know 3,000 army reserve personnel would be sent to fire grounds until after it was made public

'I can't fathom how you're not made aware of that decision,' Stefanovic said to Mr Fitzsimmons.

'The Prime Minister of this country doesn't let the man who is running this bushfire emergency know that he is putting 3,000 people on the ground?

'(He) didn't tell you, (he) didn't call you? Was arrogant enough to go to air without it?'

Mr Fitzsimmons admitted he had called the prime minister's office on Saturday night to discuss the decision, but had 'moved through' his disappointment at its handling.

After co-host Alison Langdon said she too was 'floored' by the revelation, Stefanovic claimed he didn't understand why it had been so difficult for the prime minister.

'The announcement (of the army deployment) is a good announcement. This is when you get on the phone and say: "Hey, we have got support (for you)",' Stefanovic said.

'The prime minister has again let crucial people down.'

The prime minister's office reportedly believed that NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian would pass news of the announcement on to Mr Fitzsimmons.

In a separate interview on the Today Show on Sunday, Mrs Berejiklian confirmed she had received a call from Mr Morrison but refused to be drawn on whether it was her responsibility to be the first to tell Mr Fitzsimmons.

'The PM rang all state leaders and I received his call and I welcomed his decision for additional support,' she said.

Mr Fitzsimmons (right) said he was 'disappointed' not to have known about the announcement until Mr Morrison (left) was talking at his press conference

'Our responsibility as leaders is to accept and welcome all the information... for the people who have got to implement the decisions they need that level of detail to help them make sure everything is in place and we've done that since.'

It comes after Mr Morrison came under fire for the release of a television commercial by the Liberal Party spruiking the government's response to the bushfire crisis.

The much-criticised video - authorised by Mr Morrison's office - describes how the government is deploying up to 3000 army reservists in response to the ongoing crisis.

British broadcaster Piers Morgan slammed the video as a 'self-promotional commercial with cheesy elevator music'.

'This is one of the most tone-deaf things I've ever seen a country's leader put out during a crisis. Shameless & shameful,' he posted on Twitter.

Two people were killed after horrific fire conditions hit Kangaroo Island (pictured), in South Australia, on Saturday

Earlier this week Mr Morrison (centre) toured fire grounds in East Gippsland, Victoria, with local Nationals MP Darren Chester (right)

Fires are currently burning out of control across three states - Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia

Mr Morrison took to Twitter to defend the video late on Saturday, saying it was a legal requirement in Australia to include an authorisation on all video messages used by MPs on social media.

'The video message simply communicates the Government's policy decisions and the actions the Government is undertaking to the public,' he posted.

'The same practice is rightly employed by the Leader of the Opposition and the Labor Party. This is required and standard practice in Australia.'

The prime minister has faced criticism for not acting sooner to bolster the nation's firefighting capabilities, and for also going on holiday to Hawaii during the crisis.