ANDERSON — Thirteen Upstate public safety officers were honored Monday, May 17, by the Insurance Women of the Piedmont for their dedication to the communities they serve.

The Insurance Women of the Piedmont is a professional association of the insurance agents that covers Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties. The association honors firefighters, police officers and emergency medical workers each year for their extraordinary service, said Linda Rice, who handles the award for the association.

“This is something we can do for them, because they put their life on the line every day for us,” Rice said.

Rice said the program was started in 1999. About 70 have been nominated by their supervisors and the association has honored 62.

Fire Marshall Brad Owen with the Easley Fire Department was one of the recipients honored in the annual ceremony. Owen has served as a fire instructor with the Easley Fire Department and was recently honored by the City of Easley for his work. He works diligently to enforce codes to protect the community. Owen was instrumental in getting the city council to ban burning inside the city.