PM reckons a full evacuation should be called...
I don't think I said that. What I tried to say was that we are not trained to do "half evacuations" and doing so puts you into uncharted, unpracticed and un-rehersed territory. I also went on to ask if this evacuation was necessary (with the caveat that I wasn't there and don't have the full facts). The reason behind this is that we must very careful about choosing our sources of information. For example, although a brake fire (but this appears not to be one) is an interesting event, with a properly trained fire crew and well equipped fire appliances an attendance I wonder if a full blown evacuation is required. Any such fire should be capable of being knocked out in seconds. Also, how long should a brake fire be able to burn without compromising the integrity of the cabin? I don't know and I'm not suggesting we should try and find out on line during a real incident, but this is something for the AAIB to look at. Current certification standards require a minimum time which I have not been told about. Also, what is the brake temperature limit before you have a real problem? I'm sure each aircraft is different but I also reckon fire departments have one tune "see smoke - order evacuation"
What I'm saying is that our current evacuation policies must be re-examined. Our current, old fashioned approach to this subject is out of date.