The Greater Erie Board of Realtors presented a check for over $26,000 to three local volunteer fire departments in east Erie County.

Fuller Hose Company #1, Crescent Hose Company #2 and Greenfield Township were invited to apply for a grant to be the beneficiary of the board’s annual purse bingo event.

The event was held about a month ago and the three companies plan to use the funds for their fire training facility located at Gravel Pit Park in North East.

Chris Skrekla, Fuller Hose Co.’s president, said they plan to save the funds to build a classroom facility.

“When you’re a volunteer fireman, there are so many community partners that we rely on. This is a completely new relationship for us, and obviously, words can’t express how happy we are that we were selected,” Skrekla said. “There’s a real expense to providing public safety to the community. We’re happy to do it, and like I said, this donation here today is proof of that and we’ll pay it forward by training future first responders.”

He added the facility is open to every first responder in Erie County.