by Joel Lamy Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service has dropped its Fireman Sam mascot, based on the popular TV character, to stop people from feeling “excluded”. Lincolnshire’s chief fire officer Les Britzman said, “Firefighters nationally and residents locally have raised some concerns that ‘Fireman Sam’ doesn’t reflect the fire service today, in terms of both the job itself and our workforce. Firefighters nationally and residents locally have raised some concerns that ‘Fireman Sam’ doesn’t reflect the fire service today (Photo: BBC) “It’s important to us that our open days and community events don’t make anyone feel excluded and therefore we took this decision. “We always make sure that we include plenty of activities and other ways to engage children and adults, to help them learn more about fire safety and a firefighter’s role.” More inclusive mascots An email seen by the Lincolnite from a senior fire service figure has also revealed that the service will use fire extinguisher-shaped characters named Freddy and Filbert as mascots instead. The email states, “A decision has been made not to include images of Fireman Sam on posters or advertising going forward, as it does not reflect the inclusive nature of Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue. The service will use fire extinguisher-shaped characters named Freddy and Filbert as mascots instead (Photo: Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue) “Please can you ensure when you are designing posters that Fireman Sam is not used and more inclusive images are utilised. “This also includes no longer using the Fireman Sam costumes on stations and using the Freddy and Filbert costumes instead.” This article originally appeared on our sister site, Peterborough Telegraph