Fire burning out of control can cost millions of dollars in property damage and kill any person animal or plant in its path. Houses sheds buildings motor vehicles and huge areas of bushland can all be destroyed. No matter whether it is solid liquid or gas everything from grass to paper to clothing to furniture to chemicals cooking oils petrol paint kerosene to natural gas liquefied petroleum gas LPG and acetylene can catch alight if we're not careful and don't understand fire. Not all fires can be put out with water - some need to be smothered with foam or a fire blanket. If we pick up a bucket of water and throw it on a burning liquid we can make the fire worse. Fire can spread very quickly through whole houses and into the surrounding neighbourhood. If the fire service wasn't there for us to call in an emergency we could lose everything our home our pets even our life. Firefighters or 'the firies' as they are nicknamed help us to feel safe because we know they'll come and put the fire out.