PHOTOS: The Evanston Fire Department today unveiled a new fire engine with a distinctive Northwestern University-inspired purple and white color scheme. The university agreed two years ago to provide $800,000 to fund the purchase of the new engine. And Fire Chief Paul Polep says he started work shortly after that — meeting with firefighters at Fire Station #3 on Central Street where the new engine is housed — to come up with the new design concept for the engine — the latest of several fire and ambulance vehicles donated to the city by the university. “This is our way of showing gratitude to Northwestern for the continuous collaboration between our fire department and the university over the years,” Polep says. “We’re proud of how it turned out.”