T.J. Booms and the rest of the Meridian Township Fire Department are valuable assets to their community. However, the firefighter/paramedic wanted to do more. After receiving several calls to assist Neal Langford, a 52-year-old resident of East Lansing, Michigan, Booms found a project to give back to his community. Booms decided to build a new, more accessible garage for Langford. Swimming injuries Langford sustained at the age of 26 left him a quadriplegic. Langford's injuries require him to have a special van to get around, but the house in which he has lived for 19 years can't accommodate it.
Booms told the Lansing State Journal that Langford's van would frequently get stuck in the driveway during the winter, and he worried what would happen if Langford was stuck in the cold overnight. Booms and his captain got the idea to start a departmental initiative called the Meridian Fire Community Outreach Fund. Their first project was building a 24- by 30-foot garage that is large enough to accommodate Langford's van and keep it sheltered during poor weather. Booms' project brought the whole community together in the spirit of giving. Numerous local business helped the firefighters and paramedics complete the garage, and the township even waived the permit fees for the building. Booms plans to donate the leftover money from this project to fund future endeavors.