The newest resident of the Indian Lake Fire Department Hall certainly stands out amongst its roommates — being nearly three times as large as them, that is to be expected, though.

The local volunteer fire department recently welcomed a new addition to their fleet of vehicles, a 2003 Pierce Enforcer fire engine. Members of the department have spent the last month prepping the vehicle for service, which will begin field deployment next week, said Chief Bryan Huggins.

Huggins, who has been in charge of the department since 2009, has showed off his department’s new workhorse to other local firefighters, as well as to members of the Silver Creek and Pokagon township boards, he said.

“It’s been turning heads,” Huggins said. “People have told us it is incredible to see the shape the truck is in, considering its age.”

The Enforcer will replace the department’s oldest fire engine, a model that was built in 1982, Huggins said. It joins two other engines and a tanker in the existing department fleet, which also consists of a boat and two jet skis for water rescue.

“We’re hoping to get 15 to 20 years of out it [the new vehicle],” the fire chief said.

The 35-member department purchased the 12-year-old vehicle for $195,000 from a department located in Texas, paying for it with cash that the leadership has been saving up for the last several years, Huggins said.

“If we had purchased the same truck fresh off the assembly line, it would have cost us over $700,000,” he said.

The truck boasts several features that will assist Indian Lake volunteers on the field, including rotating front siren lights that make the vehicle easier to spot by other drivers, especially at night.

The department has also given the new vehicle a red, white and blue color scheme, playing off the American flag painted on the front vent by the previous owners, Huggins said.

“We’re all proud to be Americans, and we’re especially proud to be American firefighters,” he said.