Not all buildings will require a PAS 9980 Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW).
Where it is manifest to a competent fire risk assessor that risk to life from fire spread over the external walls is not such as to warrant an FRAEW by a specialist; in these cases, the fire risk assessor will normally address compliance of external wall construction with the Fire Safety Order [19] as part of the FRA.
Examples of this are buildings in which the external wall construction can readily be confirmed as being of traditional masonry construction (i.e. external walls which comprise either two leaves of masonry or a solid masonry leaf), or cases in which it can, otherwise, readily be determined by a typical fire risk assessor (e.g. from the age of the building if it predates the mid‑1960s, from an operation and maintenance manual, or an existing report by a competent person, based on a relevant BS 8414 test) that no FRAEW is necessary.
However, although the age of a building can be a factor, care is needed in case combustible materials have been added to the external walls over time.
A competent Fire Risk Assessor should ask themselves what they know about the as-built external wall beyond what they can see from the outside, such as the presence and location of cavity barriers/fire stopping in the correct location, the type of insulation used and its combustibility and how the entire external wall system (not just any visible cladding) is likely to perform in a fire.
As an organisation we are market leaders in PAS 9980 / External wall surveys. Our staff consist of Fire Engineers, Surveyors and Building Control experts, all with a wealth of subject knowledge. We also only work with the best contractors to undertake the opening up and making good, so you can rest assured the building will not be left in a worse state post completion.
PAS 9980 comprises 178 pages of information, much of which is technical and for interpretation by a competent professional. Therefore, this summary aims to provide a high-level overview of the scope of application and a high-level overview of an FRAEW as specified by the standard.
PAS 9980 provides recommendations and guidance on undertaking a fire risk appraisal of external wall construction and cladding of an existing multistorey, multi‑occupied residential building.
It relates primarily to blocks of flats throughout England as it references legislation relevant to buildings in England, however, it can also be applied in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, subject to consideration being given to apply its recommendations within the context of the appropriate regulatory regime and supporting guidance.
PAS 9980 applies predominantly to multistorey blocks of flats, but also includes student accommodation, sheltered or specialised housing and buildings converted into flats if they are similar in nature to purpose-built blocks of flats in terms of general fire strategy, means of escape and evacuation strategy.
Wall build‑ups within the scope of this PAS include, but are not limited to:
- external walls incorporating a rainscreen cladding system, with or without insulation within any associated cavity;
- external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS), particularly those comprising rendered insulation;
- composite panels, including insulated core (“sandwich”) panels;
- glazed façades with infill/spandrel panels;
- substrates or backing walls, including concrete blockwork, brick, steel framing systems (SFSs), timber framing and - structural insulated panels (SIPs); and
- curtain walling.
It also covers attachments to the external walls of buildings.
PAS 9980 does not address spread of fire from one building to another, the performance of external walls in terms of fire resistance, or the ability of the walls to maintain structural stability. It is not applicable to new buildings.
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