Wokeness ablaze: Fire chiefs in UK scrap Fireman Sam for not being inclusive – backlash erupts

Lincolnshire’s Fire & Rescue service is dumping much-loved cartoon character Fireman Sam as its official mascot, because Sam is too male. This didn’t sit well with a large portion of the public, which is wondering “who’s next?”

The move followed a persistent campaign by various organizations and individuals that peddle the so-called woke ideology. The trouble with the mascot was that it was too male and was putting women off from joining the force. The mascot will be replaced by in-house solutions, fire-extinguisher-shaped characters Freddy, Filbert and Penelope.

The Fireman Sam debacle is just one of the latest illustrating an ideological push by the PC crowd to dominate almost all aspects of everyday life. The public outcry against the decision was almost immediate, with people pointing out the absurdity of the whole thing. 

“Fireman Sam works for the fire service and is called Sam. What else do they need to include?” asked Joe Carter from Lincoln. ”You wonder if our fire chiefs are operating in the real world."

The ridiculous reasoning behind the axing of Fireman Sam was not lost on social media users.

Much of the reaction pointed out that attempting to shape a cartoon character into a woke ideological mold is a step too far. One Twitter user told the woke crowd to “get over themselves.”

The decision to axe the beloved mascot serves as “a symbol of a society slowly going mad,” an outraged netizen fumed.

Others noted that, for years, Fireman Sam had enjoyed the companionship of a female sidekick named Penny, highlighting the apparent pettiness of the fire service’s PC exercise.

But it was no laughing matter to most, with the Twitterati speculating on the dreary fate of other male cartoon characters. 

The controversial move had its share of supporters, however. The mascot change, some people mused, would help the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue service attract more women to its ranks. 

Estimates made in 2017 have shown that only 5.2 percent of firefighters in the UK are women. It is, however, unclear how the dropping of Fireman Sam, who has been a fixture on TV screens for more than 30 years, will lead to an increased female share in the force. 

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