Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls

What is a PAS 9980 FRAEW?

PAS 9980, which came into effect on 31st January 2022, provides guidelines for the fire risk appraisal of external wall construction and cladding of existing blocks of flats. It sets out several objectives to achieve in this process:

1. Methodology for Fire Risk Appraisal: PAS 9980 aims to provide competent fire engineers and other building professionals with a structured methodology to appraise and assess the scope and risk of fire spread through external wall construction and cladding. This information is intended to be used in a building's Fire Risk Assessment (FRA).
2. Clear Communication: The standard aims to assist external wall assessors in clearly communicating the results of a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Wall (FRAEW) so that recipients can understand the process, methodology, and findings.
3. Support for Professionals: PAS 9980 intends to support other professionals in reviewing an FRAEW and understanding the risks associated with external fire spread within the context of a building's fire strategy and safety arrangements.
4. Promoting Understanding: The standard seeks to promote a better understanding of fire risks associated with external walls and to clarify the limitations of what can and cannot be achieved through an FRAEW.
5. Common Terminology: It aims to establish common, relevant terminology to be used by those conducting FRAEWs, promoting consistency in language and understanding.
6. Consistency in FRAEWs: PAS 9980 promotes consistency in the Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls and suggests a pragmatic and risk-proportionate approach in the process. This consistency is expected to enhance training and increase the number of professionals in this field.

The risk assessment process outlined in PAS 9980 includes considering various risk factors, and these factors are assessed to determine their influence on the overall risk associated with the external wall system and its attachments. These risk factors are categorized into three main areas:

1. Fire Safety: Strategy & Hazards Risk Factors: These are evaluated for the entire property as a whole.
2. Materials Performance Risk Factors: These are assessed for each specific external wall type and attachment, and they are discussed in relevant sections of the report.
3. Façade Configuration Risk Factors: These risk factors are evaluated for the entire property as a whole.

The methodology outlined in PAS 9980 is risk-based and structured to determine whether the external wall construction is acceptable or whether remedial actions are necessary, such as replacing components of the external wall build-up or addressing shortcomings, like the absence of cavity barriers, to mitigate fire risks.

How does the RiskBase FRAEW work?

Check our an example PDF: Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls.

Get Started

Get the app, sign in and download assets

How-to.

Start an FRAEW

Perform an FRAEW

1. Press on one of your downloaded assets.
2. Press on External Wall Summary.
3. Press Create External Wall Survey.

Submit

After final checks

Once you are confident the report is complete, you are ready to submit.

Submit an FRAEW

1. Scroll to the top of the assessment navigation.
2. Press Assessment Overview.
3. Press Submit.

Sync

Press the green sync button (bottom-right of the screen) to ensure your data is sent to and saved in the cloud.

The report will be sent to the relavent team member to QC and Approve.