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Whale Fire use a nationally recognised PAS 79 fire risk assessment template which is detailed, well organised and also easy to understand for the client.  People often want to know what type of template they should use.  The template you use, although important, is not as important as understanding what you are doing and what you need to look for when carrying out the assessment.

You can have the best template in the world but that doesn’t make you a good assessor.  Fire risk assessment templates vary from a simple checklist template to a hugely detailed matrix report.

You should adopt a template that works for you and is easy to complete and understand.

You should, however, never think that having a good template will make you a good assessor. A competent experienced fire risk assessor using a bad template would win every time against a bad assessor with a superior template.

For all of your London fire risk assessment requirements, please click on our Fire Risk Assessments page below:

Lots of people are asking what the new PAS 9980 code of practice is all about.

I wanted to summarise what the code is and how it will apply to you as the responsible person for a block of flats.

PAS 9980 is a new documented code of practice which has been commissioned by the Government.  The actual title is ‘PAS 9980:2022, Fire risk appraisal of external wall construction and cladding of existing blocks of flats – Code of practice’.

PAS 9980 provides a unique methodology for a competent assessor to complete and then record a fire risk appraisal of external walls (FRAEW).

The idea is to introduce a risk based, proportionate response to the external wall construction with a view to protecting the occupants of the building.

It replaces a whole range of consolidated advice notes that the Government had previously introduced.

PAS 9980 went live on the 31st January 2022.

The Fire Safety Act makes it a legal requirement for any building containing two or more sets of domestic premises to have a fire risk assessment that takes into account:

The structure of external walls, including any attachments (for example, balconies, doors and windows within walls, communal areas and all doors between flats and communal areas).

Therefore, it is crucial that external walls are assessed and considered as part of the fire risk assessment for a building.  Cladding and other elements of an external wall such as insulation can play a huge part in the spread and development of fire along external walls.

PAS 9980 is purely focused on life safety for a building and does not address (as a method) a way of proving compliance with building regulations, nor any risk to a property through fire damage.  An EWS1 form is for valuation purposes, not risk based.

Not all buildings will require a PAS 9980 risk assessment. 

PAS 9980 applies to multistorey blocks of flats, as well as student accommodation, sheltered housing and some specialised housing.

Using a risk matrix involving fire performance, façade configuration and fire strategy, PAS 9980 introduces a risk-based approach to give a low, medium or high-risk rating.    This is based on a whole range of factors such as the cladding material, building height and evacuation strategy as well as many more.

What I like about the PAS 9980 code of practice is that it introduces this risk-based approach that has been missing from fire risk assessments in the last few years.  We can consider an overall approach and take into account all of the fire safety measures in the building and the life safety risk to occupants as a whole, rather than a one size fits all approach.

Whale Fire can help you with these assessments and save you money with our pragmatic and common sense approach to our work.

Please contact Whale Fire on 0800 772 0738 or via our enquiry page here:

A freeholder fire risk assessment is fundamentally a fire risk assessment that is required for the communal areas of a block of flats (converted or purpose-built) which is required to satisfy the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Act 2005.  If you are the freeholder that is responsible for a flat or for the maintenance of the whole building, then it will be your responsibility to obtain a fire risk assessment.

It is sometimes a grey area, confirming who is responsible for a fire risk assessment.  If there are say six flats off a communal areas with 6 separate freeholders then you are all jointly responsible for ensuring a fire risk assessment is completed for the communal areas.

It is effectively no different to a Landlord fire risk assessment.  The most important thing is that a fire risk assessment is completed for the communal areas rather than arguing about who is responsible and not having one completed.

We specialise in carrying out freeholder and landlord fire risk assessments and can carry these out at short notice if required.

To find our more about our residential fire risk assessments please click here:

Camden Fire

This recent fire in Camden, London, started in a shop and spread to the residential flats above. LFB extinguished the fire and warned any nearby residents to keep doors and windows closed in the surrounding areas due to a high quantity of smoke from the fire.

From a fire safety perspective, it is an interesting job to note because we often assess either just a shop (with flats above) or just the communal areas of flats (with a shop below).

As I have stated before in previous posts, it is always important to take into account the building as a whole and to consider where a fire could start and where it could spread too.

Is there sufficient compartmentation between the commercial and residential space and a satisfactory escape route from the flats without requiring linked fire detection or is a system needed linking the shops and flats so that a fire in the shop would alert any residential occupants.

We look at the buildings age, construction, height, protection of escape routes etc., amongst many more things we have to consider.

For fire risk assessments in London please visit our fire risk assessments London page here:

How much does a fire risk assessment Cost UK?

Good question.  Firstly we need to know what your premises are and whether it is a residential or commercial property. 

If your property is residential, we need to know whether the flats are converted or purpose-built.  We then need to know how many floors and flats you have as well as how many communal entrances and staircases.  As a general rule of thumb we charge per the number of floors but we take all of these factors into account.  Our residential fire risk assessments start from £175 plus VAT.

If you have a flat and need to obtain a fire risk assessment before you sell it, please see our ‘Do I need a fire risk assessment to see my flat’ news article here:

Residential fire risk assessment London

Whale Fire specialise in carrying out fire risk assessments to residential properties throughout London.  Whether you require a fire risk assessment for a converted, purpose-built block of flats or House of Multiple Occupation (HMO), we can help.

Maybe you are selling your flat and your solicitor has informed you that you need a fire risk assessment for the communal areas in order for the sale to complete.  You may need this urgently in order to speed up the sale.  If that is the case, please contact us and we can carry these out at short notice.

We need to know what type of property it is and how many flats, floors and communal staircases there are in the building.    We will need to see any maintenance records you may have for the property if you have a communal fire alarm and emergency lighting system fitted.

You can visit our residential fire risk assessment page here:

There are two ways that you can ultimately get a fire risk assessment completed.  The first is to do it yourself but you must ensure you have sufficient fire safety knowledge and an understanding of the legislation and guidance.  The second and most common, is to use a professional fire risk assessor with the appropriate training, qualifications and accreditations. 

There are five main steps to a fire risk assessment and they are as follows:

Step 1 – You need to identify the people at risk.

Step 2 – You then need to identify the fire hazards. Are there are potential fuel sources, for example.

Step 3 - Evaluate the risk.  Are your fire safety measures adequate for the risk?

Step 4 – You must then record your findings.

Step 5 - Review and revise your assessment.

These steps are second nature to a qualified fire risk assessor which is why most companies and responsible persons chose to use a qualified company/individual.  We know what we are looking for and can use our experience to make sure you get the correct advice, specific to your premises.

If you would like more information about how to get a fire risk assessment please contact Whale Fire on 0800 772 0738 or via our enquiry page below: