A firefighter who was the face of his brigade's 'values' campaign has been sacked for engaging in Carry On-style banter about kinky sex during a staff team building event.
Richard Holden, 46, was reported to senior colleagues after he repeatedly joked about 'pegging' - a slang term for the practise of women wearing a sex aid while having intercourse with their husbands or partners.
Married Holden had not known what the term meant when it was initially mentioned by a young female recruit who said her partner 'enjoyed being pegged'.
But the part-timer, who regularly raised money for the firefighters charity, started using the term himself in an attempt to fit in with the younger recruits during the three-day event in the Lake District.
Holden - based at Preesall fire station near Fleetwood - was later fired after a disciplinary investigation while two of the young recruits, a man and a woman, were given written warnings.
Lancashire firefighter Richard Holden (pictured) has been sacked after repeatedly referencing sex acts while chatting with younger recruits during a training weekend in the Lake District
Details emerged at an employment tribunal in Manchester where Holden who joined the brigade in 2014 lost a claim for unfair dismissal.
The hearing was told how Holden had stood up against bullying and dishonesty and during his career devoted his own time to raise money for mental health charities and other good causes.
He was awarded the 'LFRS star award' in 2018, and had been used on posters promoting the brigade's campaign within the service called STRIVE an an acronym which stands for 'Service, Trust, Respect, Integrity, Valued, Empowered.'
His downfall began in September 2020 when he joined rookies on a course at Brathay Hall Residential Centre in Ambleside as part of his training as a recruit to a full-time role.
Referring to Mr Holden as the 'claimant,' tribunal judge Brian Doyle said: 'He was much older than the other recruits on the course, as many of the recruits were in their twenties, whereas he was in his forties.
'He tried his best to join in conversations and to be part of the group.
'Most of the conversation was around partners and the topic turned to sexual matters, including a discussion of their partners' reduced interest in sex after having a baby.
'One recruit mentioned 'pegging' and how her last partner had enjoyed being pegged.
In 2018, Mr Holden (left) was given a Star award from the fire service for his charity work
'The claimant asked about the meaning of the word because he had no idea what it meant and he had the impression that he was the only one who did not know what this meant.
'She explained what pegging was and another recruit said he also enjoyed it.'
The tribunal heard that the group were warned about using inappropriate language after an instructor became aware of their conversation.
'The next day as the group were leaving Brathay Hall in the minibus, an instructor asked the group what they had learned from the course.
Judge Doyle continued: 'But the following day during a health and well-being lecture, the claimant's group was asked for a
