A B747-200 LANDS AT EWR AND PRODUCES SOME SMOKE FROM ONE OF ITS MAIN LNDG GEAR WHEELS. THE TWR HAS THE ACFT TURN OFF OF THE RWY TO HOLD ITS POS. AS THE ACFT MAINTAINS ITS TAXI POS; THE FLC SEE THE CFR APCH THE ACFT WITHOUT BEING INFORMED WHY THEY WERE COMING TO THE ACFT.

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FO LNDG AT EWR ON RWY 4R. AFTER TURNING ONTO TXWY Z; TWR INSTRUCTED ACFT TO HOLD IN POS; AND INITIATED A CALLOUT OF EQUIP TO INSPECT LNDG GEAR AREA. TWR ADVISED CREW THAT SOME SMOKE WAS OBSERVED FROM THE AREA DURING ROLLOUT. NO DAMAGE OR ABNORMAL CONDITION WAS FOUND BY ARPT AUTH; AND ACFT TAXIED TO COMPANY RAMP. COCKPIT BRAKE TEMP MONITORS; HYD AND ANTI-SKID SYS WARNING LIGHTS SHOWED NO ABNORMALITIES; THOUGH RAMP MAINT INSPECTION REVEALED 1 WORN TIRE BEYOND LIMITS; PLUS A SIGNIFICANT HYD LEAK. PERHAPS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE HERE WAS THE TWR'S DECISION TO SEND OUT THE FULL COMPLEMENT OF SEARCH AND RESCUE VEHICLES TO THE ACFT WITHOUT DIRECTLY AND PROMPTLY ALERTING THE CREW. CREW WAS LEFT OUT OF LOOP ENTIRELY. NO MENTION WAS MADE BY TWR OF THE REASON FOR THE RATHER ALARMING APCH OF MANY VEHICLES TO OUR ACFT. WE THOUGHT INITIALLY THAT THESE VEHICLES WERE BOUND FOR SOME OTHER ACFT OR ARPT AREA. ALSO; RESCUE PERSONNEL APCHED OUR OPERATING ACFT FOR CLOSE BRAKE AND TIRE INSPECTION WITHOUT DIRECT COM WITH CREW. ALTHOUGH I AM THANKFUL TO EWR ATC FOR BEING ALERT AND PROMPT IN INITIATING SAFETY SVCS; A MORE TIMELY COM WITH THE AIR CREW IN REGARDS TO THIS TYPE OF EVENT WOULD CERTAINLY ENHANCE SAFETY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THEY WERE TO HOLD POS SHORTLY AFTER TURNING OFF OF LNDG RWY. AS THEY HELD THEIR POS; THEY SAW THE CFR VEHICLES COMING TOWARDS THEM. THE FLC ASSUMED THEY WERE GOING TO A NEARBY ACFT. WHEN THE VEHICLES STOPPED AT THEIR ACFT; THEY INQUIRED OF THE TWR WHAT THE PROB WAS. TWR RPTED THAT SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE LNDG GEAR AREA AND THE ACFT WAS BEING CHKED FOR FIRE. THERE WAS NO INDICATION FROM THE BRAKE HEAT INDICATORS IN THE COCKPIT; SO THE FLC WAS CONFUSED AS TO WHY THEY WERE THERE. IT TURNED OUT THAT THERE WAS AN ANTI-SKID FAILURE; BUT ONLY ON 1 WHEEL. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANY FAILURE IN THE COCKPIT. WHEN THE GND CREW FINISHED INSPECTING THE WHEELS; THEY MOTIONED THE ACFT TO TAXI FORWARD; BUT THERE WAS NO COM FROM THE GND THAT THE LNDG GEAR WAS CLR AND WOULD NOT CRUSH SOMEONE IN THE WAY. RPTR FEELS EWR IS JUST TOO BUSY FOR THE TWR TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH ALL THE ACFT EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO KNOW.