A fire extinguisher is a useful addition to any home. Although, it should only be part of your arsenal against fires. The right fire safety equipment suppliers can help to ensure you have smoke alarms, fire blankets, fire curtains, and even a plan to get out if the worst does happen.

It’s important to note that over 50 Australians die every year as a result of house fires. If you are dealing with a small fire then the extinguisher is a good idea. But, if the fire is growing rapidly, it’s safer to get out and call the fire service. Your home can always be replaced, you can’t.

With that in mind, you should consider where to situate your fire extinguishers.

The Kitchen

This is possibly the most obvious point as you’ll potentially be dealing with an electrical overload or a chip pan fire. Approximately 65% of all fires originate in the kitchen, that’s why you need an extinguisher in the kitchen near the room’s main entrance.

You should note that most kitchen fires will be related to grease or electrics. Water doesn’t mix well with either. The extinguisher in your kitchen should be a powder one, allowing it to safely suffocate a fire.

The Laundry Room

If you have a separate laundry room you need an extinguisher in it. Again, it’s best to locate it as close to the main entrance as possible. This increases the likelihood of you being able to grab it when a fire has started.

The drain on electricity and the high temperatures that washing and drying machines reach means a fire is a likely possibility.

Again, it’s best to have a powder dry chemical extinguisher ready to use as water and electricity are not best friends.

It will also help if you clean the lint trap regularly as this will reduce heat buildup.

Living Room

It’s surprising how many fires start in the living room. It’s generally due to overloaded circuits. Living rooms frequently have multiple gadgets plugged into one socket, possibly via an extension or two.

In the past it was just a television, today the TV is accompanied by the DVD player, game console, cable box, and a variety of other things.

The electrical current can be too high for the circuit, causing overloading, heating, and potentially a fire.

Again, a powder extinguisher is the best idea.

The Fuse Box

If your main fuse box is in a different location you should keep a fire extinguisher near it. This is where all electrical currents originate from and the most likely cause of a fire if any of the circuits short or overload.

Alongside the fuse box, you should also consider where your heating source is. Boilers are generally hot anyway. If one is not working properly it can dramatically increase the risk of a fire starting, having an extinguisher to hand can prevent it from spreading.

But, as always, if the fire is large it is safer to get out and stay out.