(Enlarge) Addy Branson, 7, of Towson, raised money from friends, neighbors, family and schoolmates after she heard about last February's fire at a Dundalk fire station. She collected $250, and last week presented it to the new Baltimore County Fallen Firefighters Foundation. (Photo courtesy Baltimore County Fire Department)

Well, Addy Branson, 7, of Towson, and a group of Baltimore County firefighters, will never forget them.

On Feb. 10, in the middle of back-to-back blizzards, a fire broke out in the apparatus bay of the Dundalk fire station, on Sollers Point Road.

The blaze destroyed part of the station, but it also sparked action for a young girl who wanted to help.

Addy was watching television when she heard about the fire that struck the station. The daughter of Steve and Mallory Branson immediately went to work.

"She saw that the fire station had burned, and was very upset," said Steve Branson.

"Addy mentioned that these people put their lives on the line for us, and we need to do something for them," he said. "A couple hours later, she got a shoebox and the next day went out in the snow to the neighbors' houses and started collecting money on her own."

Addy didn't stop with the neighbors in her Rodgers Forge community. The rising second-grader took her cause to Roland Park Country School, where she received permission from her teacher and the head of the school to raise more money for the firefighters.

She also collected money at her father's and mother's workplaces. When she was done, Addy had raised $250.

"She was pretty ruthless in her approach," her father said, laughing. "Addy hit up anyone she could for a donation. She had no problem going up to people and saying, 'This is what I'm doing, and you need to donate.' "

While Addy's original mission was to raise money for the rebuilding of the station, that turned out to be unnecessary -- since the Dundalk firehouse is taxpayer-funded, it couldn't accept her contributions. Plus, insurance covered much of the damage.

But Addy still found a worthy outlet for her donations: the Baltimore County Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

Created last year after the passing of Tommy Rice, a county firefighter who died of pancreatic cancer in January 2009, the foundation's purpose is to provide funds for firefighters and their families in times of need.

"We had a couple of fundraisers for Tommy, and he pointed out the need to keep it going because he wasn't going to be the only one that was going to be sick," said Nick Goroneos, a fellow firefighter and a friend of Rice's.

The foundation, "helps firefighters and their immediate families with whatever insurance won't pay for," Goroneos sad. "We're here to help our own."

Last Wednesday, members of the Dundalk Fire Company and the Baltimore County Fallen Firefighters Fund gathered at the station to honor Addy and accept her contribution.

Following a brief ceremony, she got a tour of the station and a photo in front of one of the fire trucks.

"It's extra special to think that someone who isn't a part of the Dundalk community was so moved by the fire that she felt compelled to do something for us," said Capt. Brian Smith of the Dundalk Fire Company.

"When her father called and told me the story, I was just blown away and asked him, 'How old is she?' The money is going to the foundation, and that will help a lot more firefighters than just here at Dundalk."

"We're just incredibly impressed by the fact that this 7-year-old was paying attention to the news, and felt the need to do something about what she saw," said Elise Armacost, director of Public Information for the Baltimore County Fire Department.

"We live in an era where there is so much news to follow, and young people aren't always that tuned in to what goes on in their own community, much less to a community that is some distance away," Armacost said.

Addy's altruism was recognized by her cohorts at Roland Park Country School.

"My classmates and teachers thought I did a wonderful job," Addy said. "I also asked my grandmother and my dad and mom (for donations).

"I feel really good about it, because I'm helping people that I never helped before," she said. "It's so much fun."

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