To honor the heroics displayed by volunteer service workers following Sept. 11, Gov. Mark Schweiker has declared this week to be Emergency Services Week in the state of Pennsylvania.

The goal of the week-long salute — which began Sunday and runs until Saturday — is to acknowledge the brave and valuable services emergency organizations provide to communities and citizens throughout the state, officials for the commemoration said.

"After the events of Sept. 11, it opened our eyes to just how important they are," said Rep. Kerry Benninghoff (R-Bellefonte).

Benninghoff, who said he has volunteered with EMS services in the past, said the proclamation was necessary to show clear support of volunteer service providers.

"We need to appreciate that the majority of emergency workers across the country are volunteers," he said. "We'd be lost without them."

Officials are asking citizens to take the time to recognize and personally applaud the efforts of not only fire and ambulance personnel, but police officers as well, said Scott Rawson, executive director of Alpha Community Ambulance Service.

"I think it's great whenever emergency service providers are recognized for what they do every day," he said.

Another suggestion has been to encourage area residents to have their children create thank-you cards and pictures and send them to emergency workers.

Deb McManus, assistant director at Daybridge Child Development Center, said children at the day care have jumpstarted several discussions regarding the service firemen and police offer to the community.

"We have a responsibility -- when dealing with impressionable children — to lead them to understand the role that people who volunteer in services play in our world," she said. McManus added that the tragedy of Sept. 11 also moved co-workers at the center in an unforeseen way.

Aramark Educational Resources, Daybridge's parent company, runs the day care center at the Pentagon, one of the crash sites.

"It may not have touched us directly, but it definitely impacted our family of workers and friends," she said.

Though Emergency Services Week is intended to draw special attention to emergency workers, Rawson said the appreciation shown toward service personnel has remained at a steady level since the terrorist attacks.

The week is simply to honor them.

Rawson cited a sock and glove drive for rescue and recovery crews at the World Trade Center at Rider Auto Inc. in the weeks following the attacks. Centre County residents came out in force, donating about 5,000 socks and 1,200 gloves to New York workers.

"The community support was tremendous," Rawson said.