24th Annual Peace Officer and Public Safety Luncheon recognizes dozens of public safety officials in the region

Honorees from several departments throughout the Coachella Valley and the desert region were recognized on Wednesday's award ceremony.

Elected Officials throughout the Coachella Valley and Riverside County were in attendance and provided certificated and proclamations for honorees.

Recipients were recognized for their acts of bravery and their dedication to service.

Among them was Battalion Chief Ryan Barrier from the Palm Springs Fire Department. Chief Barrier fought the Dixie Fire last year, one of the largest fires in California.

There he saved a man and his dog from burning inside their pickup truck.

"It's not always easy. We do run those those career calls, as you want to call them, the calls that don't go away. Those are hard. But the thank you, the smile, the making a difference. That's why we do what we do," say Barrier.

From heroism on the ground to serving justice even in the virtual world, Riverside County Senior DA Investigator, Robert Ramirez was honored for his work with the county's Child Exploitation Team.

"What we do, we hunt the evil that most people don’t know exists right now," says Ramirez.

Those recognized all sharing one common goal, serving and protecting.