Now that's thinking

Phoenix ice arena evacuated due to carbon monoxide

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/05/24/20090524evacuate0524-ON.html

You're going to be hard-pressed to figure out why I'm writing on this one. I'm sure you've read the story by now, so here it is. Notice in the article:

When firefighters got to the arena, they found eight people outside vomiting and 25 patrons complaining they felt sick, the fire captain said. When a hazardous materials team arrived, they evacuated the ice arena where a hockey tournament was being held Sunday.

So what's my problem? Simple. They waited until AFTER the HAZMAT team arrived and THEN evacuated the building. What? The eight people vomiting outside wasn't an indication? The 25 people complaining of feeling sick didn't give a clue?

So here's what I think. Somewhere there is a stupid person involved with this story. I'm just not sure who it is. Is it the reporter who simply put things in the wrong order? Or, is it the fireman who chose to leave men, women, and children in a contaminated environment until someone could establish there was a chemical contaminant enveloping the building?

Either way, it takes my breath away!