There are some things in life which we often don't realize we need to have around, until the need for them actually arises. A plunger is a good example of that, as many can confirm that they've bought their first one only when they've actually needed to use it. A fire extinguisher, on a more serious note, is another example of something that you definitely should have in your home, but sadly not everyone realizes that until it's too late.
We keep telling ourselves that there's no need for that, as nothing could possibly go wrong in our perfect homes which we look after so much. After all, you always remember to turn off the stove, right? Yet, that's exactly the kind of thinking that gets people into trouble. It only takes one time for something like this to happen and you'll be in some serious problems, even if the fire doesn't end up damaging too much.
This can all be prevented very easily by just keeping a fire extinguisher - or a few - in handy places around the house. Where exactly you're going to put them depends on the layout of the house, but under the sink is a good example of a neat spot. You'll most likely need a fire extinguisher in your kitchen, so make sure it's in an easily accessible spot not too far from anything that can catch fire. More importantly, make sure that an eventual fire won't block your access to the fire extinguisher! If you have a cabinet under the stovetop, this can be a useful place for quick access, but a stovetop fire can spread to it very quickly and prevent you from taking out the extinguisher.
If you're not sure about the best practices when installing extinguishers around your house, you should buy yours from a professional, experienced company. These companies often give consultations on fire safety along with their products, so if you need a course on how to best arrange the extinguishers around your house, they should be able to give you some pointers. You might even be able to save some money this way, by combining two rooms under the coverage of a single fire extinguisher, for example. A lot can be done when you're working with someone who's done this hundreds of times.
Remember that fire extinguishers often have expiration dates (with some rare exceptions), and you should be very watchful of those. It doesn't make sense to display concern about the fire safety of your home once, install a bunch of extinguishers around the place, then forget about them forever. If one day your home catches fire, an expired extinguisher will be about as useful to you as a non-existent one. Talk to the company you bought yours from to get details on how often you should replace the extinguishers around your home, and they might even be able to provide you with some sort of ongoing maintenance service where they call you up when your expiration dates are approaching and make you an offer on replacements!
