Only one in ten West Yorkshire firefighters are younger than 30 according to new figures out today.

The brigade has just 161 full-time frontline firefighters aged between 20 and 30, and no teenagers on its books out of a total of 1,733.

Fire chiefs say the lack of young firefighters is partly down to a money-saving recruitment freeze which was only lifted last year.

The brigade has also lifted its maximum joining age of 31 in recent years.

West Yorkshire Assistant Chief Officer Alan Hughes said: "Firefighting has a stereotyped image of young, muscle-bound, 6ft males. You do need to be fit and healthy, but you don't need to be in your twenties.

"Our current age profile is higher than it would normally be because of financial constraints as regards recent recruitment.

"It shouldn't cause a problem in the long term. We know when people are due to retire and they will be replaced through normal recruitment."

Potential recruits have to be at least 18 when they apply, and successful applicants have to undergo a further two years' probation.

Once qualified they can stay with the brigade until they are 55, or 60 if they are promoted higher than Station Officer rank.

West Yorkshire Fire Service administration and personnel manager Hilary Brown explained: "The pension scheme makes it worthwhile for firefighters to stay with the brigade into their fifties. But it is also a career with scope for promotion."

She said the fire service was one of the few professions where age was no barrier to new recruits.

"When we are recruiting we get applicants aged anything from 18 to 40. If they have the skills to do the job age doesn't matter.

"A lot of the applicants are already in other jobs and see the brigade as a long-term career choice with no age barriers."

Fire chiefs say the latest recruitment campaigns are targeted specifically at younger people, women and ethnic minorities.

Today's figures reveal the brigade only has six female full-time firefighters on its books and ten firefighters from ethnic minority backgrounds.

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