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Building and Fire Safety

FRAEW and EWS1

Two reports are closely associated with fire risk safety in multi-occupancy residential buildings.

  • Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW)

This is the formal name for fire safety external wall examinations for multi-occupied residential buildings.

A building’s broader Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) must comment on the external walls. If this highlights fire performance uncertainty or concern, due to a lack of clarity on construction details, such as an inability to confirm the materials, it will recommend a FRAEW to evaluate the risk of fire spread.

A FRAEW must be conducted by a suitably qualified and competent professional, such as one of our fire safety consultants. We have extensive experience of providing FRAEWs that determine the safety risk posed by an external wall system and offer clear, proportionate recommendations to manage that risk.

Our FRAEW services are carried out in accordance with PAS 9980, the recognised methodology, developed by the British Standards Institution, for assessing external wall fire risk in residential buildings.

Where required, we coordinate intrusive investigations to gather reliable information about the construction and materials used. This may involve engaging specialist contractors to safely expose elements of the external wall system, allowing us to reach evidence-based conclusions.

Where a building falls outside our scope, or where additional technical input is required, we work alongside appropriately qualified Fire Engineers to support the PAS 9980 assessment process.

  • External Walls Systems (EWS1) Form

This is a certificate commonly required by mortgage lenders to support lending, remortgaging, and property sales. Without this, a building can be difficult to sell or finance.

It certifies that the external wall cladding has been assessed by a qualified professional.

Our fire safety consultants can conduct and report on the survey required for an EWS1 form, which we are accredited to sign off.

Following completion, we can also offer ongoing support relating to insurance considerations, risk management, and asset protection, helping clients to plan confidently for future sales, refinancing, or acquisition discussions.

For more details please see: guide to fire risk assessment article and EWS1 what you need to know article.

 

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