WEST Yorkshire fire chiefs have been warned its ongoing recruitment freeze is leaving it at risk of having a "Dad's Army' of frontline firefighters.

The brigade has no full-time firefighters under the age of 25 and projections show the average age of full-time fire crews will be 48 by 2021.

No full-time firefighters have been recruited since 2009 causing the Fire Brigades Union to condemn the decision not to lift the freeze as "nothing short of scandalous".

And Bradford Councillor Mark Shaw, a member of West Yorkshire Fire Authority who serves on its human resources committee, said the rising age of firefighters was a "massive concern".

In response, the brigade said while it recognised it had an "ageing workforce", it remained confident its policies would not place the public at risk.

In a report to the fire authority's human resources committee, the age profile of its whole-time workforce showed there were 1,237 full-time firefighters at the end of 2013, with an average age of 43.

By the end of 2021, that figure is predicted to drop to 782 full-time firefighters, with an average age of almost 48.

There are no full-time firefighters under the age of 25, and with no further recruitment forecast for the next seven years, at least, there will be no-one under 32 by the end of 2021.

David Williams, West Yorkshire secretary for the Fire Brigades Union, said he was "extremely concerned" at the lack of full-time firefighters joining up.

"This is a massive issue," he said. "There has been no recruitment since 2009, and if no-one is taken on before 2021, we will have missed a whole generation of firefighters, which is nothing short of scandalous.

"The reason the average age is as low as 43, is that an increasing number of people are leaving the service early.

"More and more people are just saying they have had enough, taking the hit, and getting out.

"Sickness levels are also rising, which is no coincidence with an older workforce, who naturally take longer to recover.

"The staffing forecasts are based on people completing 30 years service before retiring, but that is becoming less common.

"We are squeezing staff already, they are at breaking point.

"Firefighters are leaving the job hand-over-fist, and they need replacing. We have got to recruit."

Cllr Shaw (Con, Bingley) said being a full-time firefighter was a "young man's game".

"There isn't a single full-time firefighter anywhere in West Yorkshire under the age of 25," he said.

"In five years' time, there will be no-one under the age of 30, which is a massive concern.

"It is such a physical job, and by no-means an old man's job.

"When people retire, they need to be replaced with new recruits, and the more experienced staff need to be used to help train them up."

Bradford Councillor Gill Thornton (Lab, Royds), who is chairman of the fire authority's human resources committee, said it was recruiting 'on-call' retained firefighters under the age of 25, who were becoming a "far more integral part of the workforce".

COMMENT: RECRUITS ARE VITAL TO BOOST ‘DAD’S ARMY’

"The lack of young recruits is not an ideal situation, but I am convinced there is no greater risk to the public," she said.

"All firefighters undergo an extremely rigorous fitness regime, and I am confident they can all do the job.

"The reasons for a lack of recruitment are significant budget cuts, and a reducing number of operational calls.

"Resources are based on a level of risk, and that is how the staffing levels are arrived at.

"I would love to see an opportunity to start recruiting, as a mixed-age workforce has benefits in terms of the training and development of staff."

The brigade said it did not anticipate recruiting whole-time firefighters for the "foreseeable future".

But its spokesman said that recent operational changes, such as the relocation of resources and the merger of fire stations, had enabled the authority to manage the number of firefighters it has without needing to replace those who had retired or left the service.

"All West Yorkshire firefighters are safe and competent to carry out the firefighting tasks asked of them irrespective of age," said the spokesman.

"The public will continue to receive the same standards of firefighting as they would have done if West Yorkshire had still been recruiting."

West Yorkshire Assistant Chief Fire Officer Steve Rhodes said: “We recognise that there is an ageing workforce, however, I am confident that the community will not be at further risk because of it.

“All operational firefighters must maintain, and are regularly assessed on, fitness standards, irrespective of age.

“We are continually making changes to how the service operates in response to risk based demand and reductions in fire and rescue incidents across the county.

“The success of our investment in prevention initiatives has raised awareness of community safety with great effect.”

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