Always Use Fire Extinguishers As A First Line Of Defense:

Fire extinguishers are the first lines of defense during a fire emergency. They help save lives and property. Fire extinguishers help prevent small fires from transforming into devastating fires
The good news is that fire extinguishers (specifically portable fire extinguishers) can effectively put out 80% of all fires, according to the Fire Extinguishing Trades Association (FETA) and the Independent Fire Engineering and Distributors Association (IFEDA).
Portable and trolley mounted Fire Extinguishers devices play a vital role in keeping us safe. For most people fire extinguishers are invisible red cans on walls, never looked at, rarely considered. Often ignored, even by the fire community. But, fire extinguishers are the first line of defense in a fire accident. They occupy less place, are easy to use, They are used in more than 2600 businesses and non-residential structures every day, and they are the difference between a minor fire problem and a conflagration.
Here are the facts:
According to the most recent NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) data1, in 2008 U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,451,500 fires. These fires resulted in 3,320 civilian fire fatalities, 16,705 civilian fire injuries and an estimated $15,478,000,000 in direct property loss. Of these fires 112,000 were responded to in commercial or municipal buildings. Of the over $15 Billion in property damage, more than $3.811 Billion took place in these non-residential structures. This represents an average loss per reported incident in non-residential / commercial structures of over $34,000
The Vital Role of a fire extinguisher:
To highlight the effectiveness of extinguishers in the early stage fire fighting, a UK study performed by FETA (Fire Extinguishing Trades Association) and IFEDA (Independent Fire Engineering and Distributors Association) reviewed over 2100 fire incidents and found that in 80% of the cases a portable fire extinguisher successfully extinguished the fire and in 75% of those cases, the fire department was not required to attend.
A similar survey was conducted by EUROFEU (European Committee of the Manufacturers of Fire Protection Equipment and Fire Fighting Vehicles) in 6 European countries and it found strikingly consistent results. In over 2600 incidents recorded it concluded that in 81.5% of cases the portable extinguisher successfully extinguished the fire and in 74.6% of the cases the fire department was not required to attend.
Market provides solid statistical evidence that in approximately 80% of all fire incidents a portable fire extinguisher is the only fire fighting tool needed to extinguish the fire. Further, they indicate that in 60% of all fire incidents the fire department is not notified (and thus the event would not appear in NFPA statistics). If applied to the 2008 NFPA data, fire extinguishers effectively managed approximately 224,000 fires in commercial structures, 168,000 of which do not appear in NFPA statistics.
Fire Extinguishers protect the Environment:
Fire extinguishers also play a critical role in protecting the environment by controlling fires at their very early stages. The availability of accessible and working fire extinguishers assures that the highest possible percentage of fires will be controlled with the minimal environmental impact possible
To prevent deadly, catastrophic and expensive damage recovery, make sure fire extinguishers are available, easily accessible and ready to operate. Fire extinguishers are vital fire safety and life safety devices.