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And that was just the beginning.

"The truck has been sent back and forth numerous times over the last three years since we purchased the truck," Farnsworth said. "Some were very small repairs. Some were very large repairs. But the truck has been out of service more than it's been in service, to be brutally honest."

As if the downtime of a nearly $1 million piece of equipment wasn't bad enough, the municipality may be on the hook for all of the costs of repairs when an extended warranty expires in November.

The township bought the vehicle for $865,000 along with $85,000 in related equipment in 2012 to assist the department in fighting fires at homes and buildings taller than two stories.

The municipality still owes about $697,000, according to Farnsworth.

Within weeks of delivery, the ladder truck started to have issues that continue to this day, according to officials. The problems include the ladder, cables and water tank.

The Cotton Volunteer Fire Department Station 4 in Hope Mills shared photos on Facebook Saturday showing their station flooded.

The crews from the station had conducted more than 70 water rescues when they got the call over their radios that their station was being evacuated.

Around 11 p.m. that night Rockfish Creek flooded, which sent a wave of water into the station.

They were able to get everyone out safely, along with their apparatuses, some chairs and a TV. Everything else is likely a loss.

The last engine leaving the station had water up to the front bumper.

Marcheterre is heading to Wisconsin this month to make a final check on a new, $1 million, 100-foot ladder truck expected to be delivered early next year by the Pierce Manufacturing company.

“But one issue is the new truck ... it's about 20,000 (pounds) heavier than the 65,000-pound truck we have now,” Marcheterre said. “So we need to make sure the floor can handle the weight.”

The new truck will replace a vehicle at the end of its 30-year recommended lifespan. Marcheterre said he’s still working out the best type of concrete that would serve the station and whether a drain can be added into the bay area.

The floor of the fire department was laid in the mid-1800s, likely with a combination of coal cinders and ash, Borough President Elaine Lippke said.

“One of the things we’ll have to have looked at is what exactly is underneath that concrete,” she said. “The good thing is there’s no cellar under the bays, so nothing is going to fall through that floor.”

Lippke estimates the cost of a new floor could run more than $7,000, though exact figures won’t be known until bids start coming in.