It shouldn’t take a derailed train, threat of an explosion, evacuation of a community and a fiery controlled burn releasing toxic chemicals into the environment to make a change.

But if all that happened — as it did within an easy drive away from Butler County — we think change is a reasonable expectation.

On Friday, Feb. 3, multiple cars of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, derailed. Just a few days later, officials urged residents to evacuate, or risk death, as toxic chemicals would be released to stop the possibility of the tankers exploding.

When some returned home, they reported health concerns, and a number of class-action lawsuits were filed against Norfolk Southern — some of which include the westernmost part of Butler County.

At the start of 2023, we wouldn’t have dreamed up such a potential so close to home. But such a potential exists, right here, even closer to home, too.

In a Feb. 8 interview, Steve Bicehouse, Butler County Emergency Services director, said the last train derailment of serious magnitude that he can recall in the county occurred more than 30 years ago.

He said the county would be prepared if such a situation happened here and that in such a situation, teams would be sent from surrounding counties to assist.

But what we’d like to see from companies like Norfolk Southern is the assurance that such a thing wouldn’t happen in the first place.

Instead of spending big money lobbying against railway safety measures, such as a proposed federal rule that would require two-person crews, railways should be spending their money on the two-person crews — or other safety measures.

The risk is too great to not prioritize safety. If it wasn’t visible before, it certainly should be now, as people worry about their air quality and water quality, and some in the immediate area of the derailment, including two Knoch graduates who reside near the East Palestine derailment, look to move away.

If this isn’t enough to prompt change, what is?

— TL