The provisions of this standard apply to the selection, installation, inspection, maintenance, and testing of portable extinguishing equipment. A.1.1 Many fires are small at origin and can be extinguished by the use of portable fire extinguishers. Notification of the fire department as soon as a fire is discovered is strongly recommended. This alarm should not be delayed by awaiting results of the application of portable fire extinguishers. Fire extinguishers can represent an important segment of any overall fire protection program.