Fire and rescue services do not generally advise householders to fight fires. The advice is get out, stay out, call the fire service, and the reason is that domestic fires develop faster than most people expect and the person holding the extinguisher is usually between the fire and the only staircase. That said, a small extinguisher and a blanket in a house are not a bad thing if you know their limits.
What the official advice actually is
Home fire safety guidance from fire and rescue services concentrates on working interlinked alarms, a practised escape plan, closing doors at night and not tackling fires. Extinguishers are not part of the standard home safety visit advice. That is not a criticism of extinguishers: it reflects that in a house the margin between a fire you can deal with and one that kills you is thin and hard to judge in the dark.
If you buy one anyway
A small multi purpose foam or ABC powder extinguisher covers the household risks that are worth attempting, which are essentially a bin, a small appliance or a barbecue. Keep it near the exit from the kitchen rather than inside the kitchen, so you are not reaching past the fire to get it. Read the instructions once now, because you will not read them then.
The chip pan is the exception
Never use a water extinguisher on cooking oil, and do not attempt a pan fire with a general purpose extinguisher. A fire blanket, laid over the pan from the near edge with your hands protected behind it, is the domestic answer to a small pan fire, and even then only if it can be done without reaching over flames. Otherwise turn the heat off if safe, leave, close the door and call 999.
Servicing a domestic extinguisher
The same logic applies as anywhere: a pressure gauge in the green, an intact seal and no damage. Small domestic units are usually replaced rather than serviced when they age out, because the service cost approaches the replacement price. Write the purchase date on it, because nobody remembers how long it has been in the cupboard under the stairs.
Questions people ask about home fire extinguishers
Should I have a fire extinguisher at home?
Fire service home safety advice concentrates on alarms and escape planning rather than extinguishers. Having one is not wrong, provided you treat leaving as the default and use it only on a small, contained fire with your exit behind you.
Which extinguisher is best for a house?
A small multi purpose foam or ABC powder unit covers the realistic household fires. Keep it at the exit from the kitchen, not inside it, and add a fire blanket for pan fires.
Are mini extinguishers any use?
Only on a very small, contained fire. Their discharge time is measured in seconds, so they are a single attempt at a bin or an appliance, not a tool for anything that has spread.