The Lightning Ridge Fire Brigade was introduced to a new fire safety tool on Monday night when they were shown how to use the Kitchen Fat Fire Simulator. Community Fire Unit co-ordinator for region south, Karl Duesing, gave a talk on how to operate the simulator, which is designed to show the dangers of fire in the home. "I am mainly here to show the use of fire blankets, the importance of smoke alarms and to show people the devastating effect if they put water on a fat fire," he said. Mr Duesing said the tool could be used by the Lightning Ridge Fire Brigade to demonstrate what not to do in the case of a fire in the home, specifically the kitchen. "This is such an important visual tool to warn people of potential dangers," he said. Mr Duesing said between 2004 and 2005 there were 1955 kitchen fires in NSW with 988 of those attributed to foodstuffs left underneath the stove. "Forty-five per cent of all household fires start in the kitchen; that is a pretty alarming statistic," he said. Mr Duesing said the idea for the simulator came from Queensland and said it cost about $25,000. The idea of the simulator is to support the fire brigade as they promote the message of fire safety in the home. The Lightning Ridge Fire Brigade is considering using the simulator at major events such as the Opal Festival and the Goat Races to help promote the message to a large amount of people at one time.