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Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Greater Accra region, James Emmanuel Quao, has begged to differ with the view that fire officers at the various fire stations are more interested in entertaining themselves with ‘Ludu’ and draughts.

According to him, playing ‘Ludu’ and draughts at the various fire stations is part of the measures of the management to keep the fire officers and make them sit at the station in order to attend to emergencies in time.

Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, James Emmanuel Quao explained that their work is an emergency one and so in the absence of an emergency, they either engage in seminars or occupy themselves with indoor games like ‘Ludu’ and draughts to avoid their movement around.

He stressed that there are some officers who are not used to sitting at one place without being active; hence, the decision to introduce the indoor games to maintain them at one place to respond to emergencies when the need arises.

“Our work is an emergency job and if there is no emergency, either we engage in seminars to learn new techniques or we occupy ourselves with something that will not make them move around and so if you see those fire officers playing ‘Ludu’ or draught [Dame], it is not as if they are having fun or they don’t have anything to do, but take it that the indoor games are keeping them at one place to respond to emergencies quickly without delay,” he explained.

He feared that without the indoor activities to keep them at the station, it will be difficult to get them to attend to emergencies; thus, playing draughts and ‘Ludu’ rather keep the fire officers together at one place.

“ . . so, people should not think that we are entertaining ourselves by playing the Ludu and the draughts; it is all part of the job measures,” he explained.