One of the leading causes of accidental death is fire. This most often affects the elderly and children. Keep your home and family safe from fire by following some simple preventative measures.
Being prepared to stop the spread of a small fire can save you further damage. For the 
homeowner an extinguisher labeled Type A-B-C is effective against most types of fires.
Extinguishers designed to fight specific fire types:
Type A: For ordinary combustibles such as paper, wood, cloth, most plastics and rubber. Great for use in living areas of the home.
Type B: Used for flammable liquids such as oil, gasoline, paints, solvents and cooking grease. Best kept in the kitchen or garage.
Type C: Used for electrical fires. Best kept in the basement or workrooms.
An important part to any fire prevention plan is to install smoke detectors throughout your home. The National Fire Protection Association recommends installing one smoke detector outside each bedroom and on all levels of your home. This will help to ensure that you are awakened if the smoke detectors detect smoke. Keep in mind that most fires occur when people are sleeping. Test your smoke detectors at least once a month. Changing the batteries with the spring and fall time changes is another good way to make sure they stay fresh and you don't lose their effectiveness. You can also have smoke detectors hard-wired into your home, but keep in mind that if you were to lose power (which can happen in a fire) you would also lose the smoke detectors unless they had a battery backup system.
Should a large, uncontrollable fire break out in your home the best defense is a quick escape by way of a pre-planned escape route. It's a good idea to practice multiple escape routes wtih your family regularily. There are ladders available that can be easily stored and folded out in an emergency to help families escape from upper floors of their homes.
You should have your heating and cooling systems checked annually to prevent possible malfunction and fire. Never store gasoline or other flammables near heating equipment or open flames such as pilot lights. They should be stored away from the house in tight metal or plastic containers.
Make sure that all appliances and tools used in or near your home are UL-listed or FM-approved. Check for frayed or worn cords or plugs. Never operate any appliance with wet hands or overload a socket with appliances that are more than the socket can handle.
Keep cooking areas free from dust to keep particles from igniting -- this should include your stove, refrigerator and dishwasher. Never leave flammable items near a heat source or store above your stove. Keep pot handles turned in to avoid children pulling them down onto themselves. Store a fire extinguisher on a wall near the stove/oven.
