A LIST of nine recommendations has been drawn up to prevent an ageing workforce having any "significant impacts" on West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service's ability to deliver services in the future.

By 2020, the county will have no whole-time firefighters under the age of 30 and the average age will be 46.7, according to a new report by the Fire Authority's Task and Finish Group.

In late 2014, the Telegraph & Argus reported how a recruitment freeze was leaving the fire service at risk of having a "Dad's Army' of frontline firefighters.

The new report has come up with a string of recommendations to go before fire chiefs next week, but the Fire Brigades Union claimed the document had no "reasonable substance".

The nine recommendations include looking at an awareness campaign to increase education about the menopause and its potential impact on its female workforce.

The Fire Authority will mark International Women's Day on March 8, with a session for all managers on the menopause given at the end of this month.

All female staff will be sent a guidance leaflet on the menopause, which includes a list of contacts and an invitation to a coffee morning at the end of March. Women currently make up 4.21 per cent of the authority's total workforce.

Other recommendations include continuing to encourage and support firefighters to maintain high standards of aerobic fitness and strength, and carrying on promoting healthy lifestyle choices, diet and nutrition.

The report also considers whether it is necessary to tailor the support provided to firefighters dependant on age and gender.

There were 1,070 people employed by the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority as of December 31 last year, in posts including firefighters and station managers. Only 45 of this total are women.

These figures include a total of 642 firefighters, including 197 aged 25 to 35, 235 aged between 36 and 45 and 207 from 46 to 55.

The report concludes: "From this piece of work, at this moment in time, an ageing workforce doesn't present any significant impacts on our ability to deliver our services, but may well do so over the next five to ten years, as the numbers of staff aged over 50 increases.

"There are benefits of employing an older workforce.

"With age comes more experience and skills which can have a positive effect on the service we deliver."

The Task and Finish Group will reveal its findings to the Authority's human resources committee on Friday, February 26, at Fire Service Headquarters, Birkenshaw.

David Williams, West Yorkshire secretary for the FBU, said: "Overall, the majority of the nine points are what you would reasonably expect from any employer.

"Older firefighters will need more support. There is nothing of any reasonable substance to the report.

"We have known about menopause since we first recruited female firefighters. It should not have taken until 2016 to do something about this. It's not good enough."