Guppy - in a serious emergency needing people OUT, your cabin crew will not have time to BRIEF passengers..... Besides, remember that most have checked their common sense in with their bags!
You didn't happen to indicate if you've ever dealt with an aircraft fire or an evacuation. I have, both as a pilot and as a firefighter. Briefings are done before the engines turn, but as the airplane is being evacuated, directing passengers to exit the airplane toward the nose and get as far away as possible is certainly a function of conducting the egress.
The cabin crew, and in fact the flight crew, is still responsible for the passengers if they're at all physically able. This is a leadership function, and one must absolutely take charge.
When I signed on with one particular carrier several years ago, included in the groundschool was a live firefighting exercise in which every pilot had to extinguish fires by hand, dunk pools and raft control in the actual water, and lengthy classes and exercises on taking charge during an evacuation. It included specific direction, repeated over and over, loudly, firmly, and in a command voice to drop one's posessions, get clear, and run away.
When I have briefed passengers myself (on many occasions), I have always included direction to move as far away from the airplane as possible and not return for any reason. Passengers at exits are briefed on their special requirements in not only opening the exit, but helping others...that wasn't done here. People simply opened exits and began milling about.
I don't know if you've ever been in a mishap involving a crash or a fire. I have...and despite the confusion and a certain level of excitement (which certainly didn't appear to be the case here)...what occured in that video is far from the norm or what should be occuring.
And yes, crew should have attacked the fire as there are at least 4 extinguishers on board.
I disagree. Have you ever fought a fire? I have. Are you aware of the potential temperatures that a brake fire can reach, with magnesium wheel assemblies and burning metal...which requires a Class D extinguisher...and not the water/glycol extinguisher most commonly found in a cabin to extinguish burning interior materials? Putting an interior extinguisher on a brake fire could easily cause an explosion...and where a tire doesn't deflate with a thermal fuse, it can easily explode. Approaching the gear area during a fire should be left to professionals, to say nothing of the attire of the crew (often polyester or poly cotton...like wearing a giant matchbook)...really not something to wear to a fire. Attempting to put out a fire incorrectly can cause it to spread, make it worse, splash burning fluids or metals, cause an unwanted reaction, incite an explosion, spread the fire, or simply waste resources and make the situation worse for responders by giving them one more victim with which to deal.
Get the people clear, get them safe and secure, and let the airplane burn if it must. The airplane can be replaced. The people cannot.