For most of the past eight years, Justin Battles and Adam Meid were like two ships passing at Tampa Fire Rescue.
"When I was coming in, he was getting out," Meid said.
But the two had a lot more in common than just being firefighters. Though they didn't know it at the time, each had a son who enlisted in the Marines and went through boot camp at Parris Island at about the same time.
On Nov. 9, 2011, Nick Battles, now 20, suffered a freak accident on the last day of training, becoming a quadriplegic after being injured during an exercise.
Though he hardly knew his fellow firefighter, Meid, now a driver-engineer assigned to Tampa Fire Rescue's Marine Division, "kicked into gear," organizing a major fundraising effort on behalf of the Battles family.
"With my son, Matthew, also in the Marines, it really hit home," said Meid.
For helping the Battles family, along with saving the department "tens of thousands of dollars" with his skill, knowledge and expertise with the Patriot, the department's 69-foot fireboat, Meid was named Tampa Fire Rescue 2012 Firefighter of the Year.
At a ceremony last week, he was handed the award by Nick Battles, whose recovery so far has been "miraculous," Meid said.
"It was tremendously humbling," said Meid, who has been with the department for 23 years.
Meid organized a barbecue fundraiser in December that raised about $15,000, according to Battles.
The money, he said, has helped offset the cost of lost wages and travel for the care of Justin Battles, who is recuperating at the James A. Haley Veteran's Hospital.
Confined to a bed after his injury, Nick Battles now uses a wheelchair. His injuries still require full-time care.
Now Meid is working with Kelly Hallman, a Hillsborough County Fire Rescue firefighter, to rehabilitate Justin Battles' home in Wachula so that Nick Battles can live there after he leaves the hospital.
The plans call for a specialized bathroom for Nick Battles, along with a ramp.
Justin Battles said with two teenage boys at home, he wants to bring Nick back to Wachula even though traveling back and forth to Haley has been a difficult ordeal for him and his ex-wife, Wendy Battles, who have been working together to take care of their injured son.
Meid said he hopes the labor on the renovations will be donated.
A contractor who saw the plans devised by Hallman estimated the project will need about $60,000 in materials.
"We are trying to get the funds rolling on that," Meid said.
Copyright 2012 - Tampa Tribune, Fla.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
