ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — There's a push to register more organ donors in St. Lucie County.
The St. Lucie County Fire District, along with the Tax Collector's Office and Legacy Donors, are launching a campaign with special decals that will be placed on fire rescue trucks.
The decals will be placed on the back of the trucks at Fire Station 3 by past donors' families on Monday and will eventually be placed on all trucks across the county.
Currently, only about 50% of residents registering to get their license are choosing to become organ donors, according to Tax Collector Chris Craft.
However, Craft said just because organs are donated does not mean they can be used.
Sometimes organs are deemed useless because of the condition they are in when someone dies.
He says there is a great need for donations.
"Life circumstances doesn't always indicate because you sign up, they're going to be able to use your organs, like in Logan's case. He wasn't able to use, they weren't able to use everything, but it takes so many to save so many," said Trina Long, Logan Daily's mother.
On Monday, Long will place the first decal on one of the trucks in honor of her late son.
In 2019, Daily was killed in a car crash.
Long said his donations benefitted the lives of 543 people.
St. Lucie Fire Chief Nate Sperra said becoming a donor is the last heroic act a person can do.
"This past week, a police officer was kept alive for 5 days after he was shot specifically to recover his organs," said Sperra. "You think about a person who gave his life for the community, still stepped up to the challenge and the family made that sacrifice. So, I think if that family can do it under those circumstances, we should all participate to a degree."
Anyone interested in becoming an organ donor can sign up at their local tax collector's office.
