Firefighters from Lancaster came together Tuesday morning not to battle a blaze but to provide a helping hand to an Ephrata girl and her family.

Members of the Lancaster International Association of Fire Fighters Local No. 319 donated their time to build a wheelchair ramp at the home of 9-year-old Brieanna Price.

Brieanna suffers from muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement. She was diagnosed with MD two years ago.

"We didn't know," her mother, Stefanie Price, said. "We did notice that she was tired all the time."

Price said, "She now has a wheelchair and a walker that we use when she has a bad day."

A bad day, according to Price, is when Brieanna is so weak she can't walk on her own.

Those bad-day episodes come every week or two and usually last about three consecutive days, Price said.

"Brieanna tries to use the chair as little as possible because she wants to do what all 9-year-olds do," Price said.

But when she wears herself out and her legs begin to hurt, Brieanna is left with no choice but to ask for her walker or her chair.

She also carries a feeding tube that adds to the weight she carries.

"The ramp is a big help," Price said. "There is no cure or treatment for MD. She is young enough that we can still carry her, but it will simply get worse."

Despite her condition, Brieanna remains a cheerful child and tries to remain active with ballet and physical therapy to keep her muscles and bones strong.

She also is a goodwill ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, participating in the Fill-the-Boot fundraising events and visiting fire stations in the area.

Scott Slaymaker, of Local 319, said thousands of professional firefighters stand at intersections, malls and events every year to fill the firefighters' boots with donations for MDA.

The IAFF has been raising funds for MDA's programs of research and services since 1954, and Lancaster city firefighters are part of that effort.

"Our Fill-the-Boot campaign this year raised over $20,000 that went directly to the MDA in Central PA," Slaymaker said.

When the firefighters were made aware of Brieanna's need for a ramp, they didn't hesitate for one moment, said Slaymaker, one of the six firefighters who volunteered to help build the ramp.

He was joined at the site by Scott Slay, Thomas Bender, Donald Braun, Tristan Dressler and battalion Chief Duane Hagelgans of the Lancaster City Bureau of Fire.

"We just finished our night shift and came out to build this ramp for her," Hagelgans said.

Materials for the project were donated by Compleat Restorations, an Ephrata-based company that specializes in the repair and restoration of properties.

"We called them, and the owners agreed to get involved," Slaymaker said.

Compleat Restorations spokesperson Rachel Westbrook said this is the first time the business has partnered with firefighters to work for the MDA.

"We are based right here in the same community and wanted to help," Westbrook said.

As for Brieanna, having a ramp, she said, is a "very cool" thing.

"Yay! It was getting very hard," she said. "Now I can go in and out with the walker."

For information about the MDA, call 293-0685.

ebetancourt@lnpnews.com