PRAIRIEVILLE — When Ashley Norton and Andrew Sanchez signed up to be junior firefighters, it wasn’t just a passing phase.

The Dutchtown High School students both have been junior firefighters with the Prairieville Volunteer Fire Department for more than a year.

The two teens were recently named Junior Firefighters of the Year by the Knights of Columbus.

Brent Villenurve, firefighter and junior adviser, said the two are standouts because of the time they devote. “They both show up two or three times a week,” he said.

He said there about 10 junior firefighters with their station who devote various amounts of time.

He said junior firefighters go through training and learn equipment and assist them at accident scenes and at fires, with some limitations.

“There are some calls they can’t get out on, but often they’re gofers for the firefighters. It saves time,” he said.

Norton, 16, said she had always wanted to be a firefighter, and wanted to do something in the community.

She went to a meeting about the junior program and decided to sign up.

She goes to the fire station a few times a week and has been trained as a first responder.

“I plan on doing this all my life,” she said.

Sanchez, 14, had a similar response.

He joined the junior firefighters because his father and other family members are all firefighters, he said.

He volunteers at the fire station almost every weekend, Villenurve said.

“I’m going to go to school to do this professionally,” he said.

Villenurve said the junior firefighter program is designed to train young people.

“About half our firefighters were in the junior division at one time. I was, too,” he said.