I was browsing some articles yesterday on a prepper site advocating preparation for the rioting we’ve seen lately to spread even further. They posted a list of suggestions for how to be prepared. One of the items surprised me: fire extinguishers.

What surprised me was that, when brainstorming my emergency preparedness list of things to buy a few months ago, I had completely forgotten about fire extinguishers. We had at least three of them located strategically in our last house, but we only have one here–and it’s located somewhere no one will remember to look!

It’s time I bought some more fire extinguishers. Safety.com recommends an extinguisher for every floor of your home, plus any areas more prone to fires, such as the kitchen, furnace area, workshop or garage. Take time to consider where the fires may start and how to place fire extinguishers where they won’t be on the opposite side of the fire from you.

As for what kind to buy, there are five basic types:

• Class A – Involve combustibles such as wood, trash or paper
• Class B – Liquid fires that are spread by gas, oil or other flammable liquids
• Class C – Spread by electricity or electrical equipment
• Class D – Metals that are flammable including magnesium, titanium or aluminum
• Class K – Fires that stem from cooking oils and fats

Multipurpose extinguishers are available that can fight A, B, and C type fires. There are also dry chemical extinguishers that fight B and C fires. There are some that are specifically made for electronics that won’t short out equipment with wet materials, like those using carbon dioxide. Most general purpose fire extinguishers on the market are ABC rated.

One consideration, however, is that for certain types of fires the concentrated blast of chemicals may actually cause the flaming material to splash or scatter, spreading the fire further. For oil fires on your stove, for example, it may be better to keep a container of baking soda or salt on hand to dump on the fire, or simply put a lid on the pan ti deprive the fire of oxygen. In most cases that is all extinguishers do: separate the oxygen from the burning fuel, interrupting the burning process.

Once you have fire extinguishers in place it’s good to check them regularly to ensure they still have sufficient pressure. When starting out business in Boise, Idaho, we learned it was a requirement by the Fire Department to keep a fire extinguisher on the premises, and to keep it charged. We would need to get our extinguisher checked and verified every year.

There may not be any such requirement for domestic spaces, but it’s a good idea anyway. Nothing is worse than a fire extinguisher that doesn’t work when you need it most. And if you’ve ever had to use it, either replace it or get it recharged if you bought a type that is rechargeable.

For recommendations on fire extinguishers, see Safety.com’s page on types of fires and extinguishers, as well as their recommendations for the top 10 extinguishers on the market.

If you’ve never used a fire extinguisher before, or have never had training, go read through this site on fire extinguisher training as soon as possible. When a fire breaks out is not the time to go surfing the web for answers.

My wife and I visited our local fire station a few years back with the cub scouts, and they admitted that with all the safety features included in houses these days house fires are not very common. But they do still happen, and the better you’re prepared and the quicker you can respond the less the damage to your home and belongings.