Jaeger said the Philadelphia-based fire department "has a very small operating budget" and couldn't afford to buy a new fire truck. "So this is going to help us out immensely with our emergency responses," he said.
BASF, which operates a large chemical plant east of Palmyra near the Mississippi River, used the fire truck as part of its emergency response unit in case a fire, hazardous material spill or other emergency were to occur.
Peter Waddington, site manager for BASF, said the company recently reviewed its safety equipment and decided to buy a new fire truck better suited for the plant's specific needs.
"We are always looking for ways to improve what we do," he said.
"The truck that we're talking about has been working here for a long time, and it's actually served us pretty well. But from a technical point of view, the truck is actually better suited for a more agricultural service rather than industrial. So we looked to get ourselves a different type of truck that is more suited to our particular needs."
Since it no longer needed the old fire truck, the company decided to offer it a local fire department in need of equipment. "We realized this could be of great service to them," Waddington said.