Fire happens to be one of the greatest threats to life, property and environment and the first line of defense in mitigating this hazard is Fire Prevention. Fire prevention involves identification, evaluation and control of fire hazard through various engineering and management controls like provision of flameproof electrical equipment in classified hazardous areas, hot work permits, site inspections, safety audits, safety committees,housekeeping etc., where the focus is on proactive measures that prevent the occurrence of a fire. The next line of defense against fire risks is Fire Protection. Here the focus is on reducing the severity of the incident. Fire protection can be classified into two groups i.e. ‘Passive’ and ‘Active’. Passive fire protection is structural or physical measures that reduce the severity of a fire incident by restricting its spread and impact. These include measures such as fire doors, fire retardant coatings on cables and structures, and encasing of steel in concrete. Active fire protection measures on the other hand are devices that help in putting out a fire either automatically or through manual intervention. This consists of both portable as well as fixed appliances. Portable appliances include fire buckets and first aid fire extinguishers which help in putting out a fire in its incipient stage. Fixed appliances include hydrant, sprinklers, water spray and gas flooding systems and are devices that are designed to put out major fires. In addition we also have motor fire engines and trailer pumps that are mobile and can be used to fight fully developed major fires.