Get one for your kitchen.
Get one for your garage.
Get one for near your bedrooms.
Get one for your car (make sure you secure it!).
Get one to possibly save your life.
Get one.

It only costs about $25.

Contact your local Fire Prevention office of your local Fire Department for training opportunities.

Remember that dry chemical extinguishers (the most common consumer type) are harsh on electronics. If you let one loose in your family room to put out that flaming wastebasket, figure on possibly destroying your (previously uninvolved) bigscreen TV, stereo and computer with the powder that will go everywhere. Know the different types, what kind of fires they can be used on, and choose the type most appropriate for the location where you'll have it. Consider whether the extinguisher will put out the type of fire you're likely to encounter with it, and also if it will damage other things while putting out that fire. Unless you go to a specialty store, probably 95% of what you'll find in big-box stores is dry chemical. Which is OK most of the time. But you may want to look at CO2 or H20 extinguishers too if appropriate for your situation (they're more expensive though).

While I completely agree that you should have appropriate fire extinguishers in your home, with the Kitchen and Garage a priority it is important to note that home sized fire extinguishers have limited fire fighting capabilities.

Fire extinguishers are specifically designed for incipient stage fires, or fires in the very early stages. Fires in the kitchen and garage can often be controlled by a fire extinguisher (used properly) because people are often present when the fire starts and a extinguisher can be employed early in the fires development. A fire that is not extinguished with a single extinguisher is too big for extinguishers alone and more then likely to they point where you need firefighter's protective clothing to fight it safely... GET OUT and CALL 911! No property is worth a life.

Having an extinguisher near your bedroom isn't a bad idea... leaving the room for anywhere but OUTSIDE if you awake at night to find a fire in your home is not a good idea. Usually, waking to find smoke in the middle of the night means that the fire has been working for a little bit and an extinguisher is going to do little to no good. More important is getting OUT, calling 911 (this is why your cellphone should be next to your bed) and accounting for the others in your home. If your bedrooms aren't close enough together to wake your family and get them out without wondering through a smoke filled home... get out and go to their bedroom from the outside.

I personally keep extinguishers in various locations in my home. First I keep a 20lbs (20A, 120B-C) dry chemical extinguisher in my garage along with a 2-1/2 gallon pressurized water extinguisher (PW can). In my kitchen I keep a 10lbs (10A, 60B-C) dry chemical along with a 5lbs CO2 extinguisher. In my office I keep another 5lbs CO2 extinguisher. Finally I have a 20lbs dry chemical extinguisher on my back patio.

Remember fire extinguishers should be replaced (if they are not the serviceable kind) before they expire. Serviceable extinguishes need to be checked by a certified servicing company annually. All extinguished should be checked about monthly.

Fire extinguishers are only one line of defense against fires in the home. Obviously, safety and common sense are the first line but you should also have multiple smoke detectors in the home... perferably linked (one goes off they all do). Sprinklers are even better! But, since even being safe and using common sense doesn't always prevent fires you should always have a escape plan and rally point... and remember once you are outside STAY OUT!

Edited to add: once a waste basket (sofa, mattress, etc) is extinguished and you can carry it safely... get it out.

It is not a bad idea for the FD to come check fires you extinguished when the fire has discolored or blackened walls, cabinets, etc. I have been on more then one fire that had extended into the cabinets or wall after a "small" fire was extinguished earlier in the day... more then once the fire was noticed only smoke was pouring out of the attic. It is an easy job to check for extension using a Thermal Imaging Camera and experience.

when my Dad built our home back in the 50's he had the plumbers run a water line to the second floor and put in a tap and hose.he felt the best way to knock down a fire was with lots of water..i keep a hose by the wash tubs in the basement and the tap will attach to it..and yes i know about grease and electric fires and we have a dry extingusher for those..

Sounds like a bad idea. If you need loads of water to take out a fire, you need protective gear. It's not just the fire, it's the smoke that kills you. A house is replaceable, a person not. Fire's van spread rapidly, so when it isn't just a small fire, het the heck out of there and call the FD.

Also, next to fingerprint powder, the powder from a dry extinguisher is just about the hardest stuff in the world to clean up...

With that in mind, it's a good idea not to stage a dry chemical extinguisher for kitchen / food prep use. You're probably not going to want to eat anything contaminated with that stuff.

My recent reading and post about electrical wiring and electrical fires bears this out. Fires that happen in the middle of the night are rarely going to be related to cooking or working in the garage. Those fires will probably be electrical fires and unfortunately, it seems that statistically, the bedroom is a prime spot for electrical fires.

If the fire is in the fixed wiring, behind the wall, that's really the dangerous one because you may not see much of any fire or smoke until it has spread inside the walls well beyond anything manageable and may cut you off from your primary escape route through the bedroom door, so don't dilly-dally if you awake to smoke. Get out!

I just got a couple Fireade2000 extinguishers delivered (they seem to be on backorder everywhere and took a while to come). Not cheap. One is for the car. I'm more and more intrigued by the newer generation of...not sure what to call them--wetting/foaming extinguishers. Brands like Fireade2000, Coldfire, and Flame Out. They work on class ABDK fires. Actually, I believe foaming (although probably not the same chemicals as these brands) extinguishers are apparently common in Europe, from what I've read.

These Fireade2000 extinguishers are small, but I don't have any illusions of putting out a car fire with one. Life and health first--use it to knock down flames, if necessary, until you can get everyone clear of the car wreck and then let the fire department do its work. Any fire in the engine bay or that starts to burn the synthetic materials inside the passenger compartment, I don't think I'd really want to keep the car after that anyway so to me, there is no sense risking myself trying to put one out in most cases if everyone is safe. I'm just going to keep clear of the fire and that toxic smoke.

I can tell you having a dry chem, ext. go off in my Yukon was not something I want to have happen again, ever.

PC2K--i see by your gear you know what your talking about..
Dad was really--really old school..depression--WW2--he would have used a wet blanket to save his house rather than run away..