Fires claim the lives of innocent people around the world every single day. Although smoke detectors and fire alarms alert people of danger, they often have few choices other than escaping from a building and calling the fire department. The average response time of a fire department is more than ten minutes, and by that time personal belongings, business materials, and many other things maybe lost for good, causing thousands sometimes millions in damages including smoke damage. Although waiting for fire fighters to rescue you may not always be the best choice. The modern day home and business should be equipped with at least one fire extinguisher.
Fire extinguishers can save items much better than if a small fire is let burning for another ten minutes. Encyclopedia Britannica describes a fire extinguisher as a "portable or movable apparatus used to put out a small fire," and from this description it is easily seen that the best things about fire extinguishers are their size. On February 10, 1863, when Alanson Crane patented the fire extinguisher he had solve a large problem. Fires had burned down many buildings since the beginning of time, because water and other flame retardants were not readily available. With a small device that shot out compressed chemicals that smothered flames, so that oxygen could not be fed to the fire, the device was an instant success. .
Today the same concept is used in fire extinguishers. New technological advances have led to extinguishers being able to put out a range of fires including oil fires and any small explosions caused by electrical equipment such as fuses or wiring. During world war two a famous chemist Percy Julian discovered at a soy protein could be used to make aerofoam which engulf flames putting them out quickly. Other technologies keep chemicals long lasting, but all fire extinguishers should be checked each month and replaced each year to ensure proper maintenance of the chemicals.