Fire extinguishers play an important role in controlling a fire in its earliest development stages, potentially preventing significant property damage, injury or even loss of life. It is essential to accurately identify the category of fire in front of you, and to only ever use the correct fire extinguisher for the job. Using the wrong fire extinguisher, particularly on cooking oil fires, can be catastrophic and fatal. Likewise, using an extinguisher that has not been regularly serviced can also be very dangerous.