EWS1 Forms
External Wall Survey (EWS) forms are produced following an assessment of a residential building’s external walls. The purpose is to demonstrate fire risk understanding underpinned by reports’ findings using PAS 9980:2022 methodology.
EWS1 forms completed by F.I.R.E. Consultancy are available to download here. We have made these available to provide confidence that the work was undertaken by us, ensuring legitimacy.
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When were EWS1 forms introduced?
The first iteration of EWS forms was introduced in November 2019, resulting from work by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and other stakeholders, including UK Finance and the Government.
Are there multiple versions of the EWS1 form?
In December 2019 RICS introduced its own version, which has since become commonplace. As of 16 March 2023 the EWS1 form is now in its third iteration.
Why were EWS1 forms introduced?
Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the original form was an attempt to encourage mortgage lenders that the asset was safe to lend on - it was thought that this would offer confidence to the market that residential buildings over 18m in height were safe to occupy and allowed a binary (safe/unsafe) system of assessment for surveyors.
What were the issues with the EWS1 approach?
The assessment of properties is not as straightforward as a binary choice - the risk-based approach has now evolved to allow surveys of properties and fire engineering professionals to work alongside one another, as described in the notes within the EWS1 form.
What is PAS(*) 99880:2022?
PAS9980(*) is a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Wall (FRAEW) construction and cladding of existing blocks of flats Code of Practice. The document sets out a methodology to conduct and record an appraisal of external walls in situations where the construction is suspected to not resist fire spread adequately.
How are properties assessed for risk?
An assessment of risk often follows quantitative and qualitative methods.
What are quantitative methods?
Quantitative methods can be divided into two outcomes; probabilistic and deterministic.
Using probabilistic methods, a quantified risk can be determined based on the frequency and consequences of a hazard.
For deterministic methods, worst case values are applied. However, selecting data values may be too conservative, resulting in risk criteria not being met. Therefore, careful judgement is required when using numeric values.
What are qualitative methods?
Qualitative methods are comparative and absolute. A comparative method aims to determine if the proposed performance (in this case products) is equivalent or better than the guidance to which it is deemed to satisfy (in this case the functional requirements of the Building Regulations).
What is F.I.R.E. Consultancy’s EWS method?
F.I.R.E. Consultancy’s assessments follow qualitative methods.
The PAS9980 document presents a five-step risk assessment process, with an emphasis on the importance of proportionality in relation to risk and associated mitigation measures, including considerations of benefit gained, practicality and cost.
* Publicly Available Specification which is a fast-track standard produced by experts consulting for/with the service from BSI (British Standards Institution).
** The PAS9980 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 and it is not applicable to new buildings.