A building and its occupants need to be protected from the dangers of a fire and one of the simplest ways to do this is with a powerful powder fire extinguisher. These are portable devices that are designed to cope with small fires in an emergency situation. The aim of using them is to put out a fire before it gets out of control, thus averting a potentially fatal situation. There are various extinguishing agents available with some of these including water, foam, dry powder, wet chemicals and carbon dioxide. Each has its own advantages and is capable of dealing with different types of fire. The best type for use will depend on the type of building under consideration and the likely type of fire that will need to be dealt with. However, for safety purposes it is important that buildings are supplied with one or more, as they can be life savers in an emergency.