very unbelievable

I've always liked ER, but I've recently come to think of a part of the film which is very unbelievable, or our to heroes are very stupid. The way the locals were talking about them in the diner and the fact that the sheriff was one of them, you'd think they would have hightailed it out of the town. Not only do they stay, they camp out? I find this hard to believe that they would stay in such a dangerous situation. Where did they think they were, the Haight?