Free reference
PAS 79 to BS 9792:2025 migration map for UK housing fire risk assessments.
Topic-by-topic comparison of where PAS 79 fire risk assessment areas land under BS 9792:2025. Plain-English notes on what changed for each one. Free, no sign-up.
How to read this
Each row is a topic an assessor recognises from PAS 79-style FRAs. The right column shows the BS 9792:2025 section it maps to, with a chip indicating whether the topic is unchanged, has been rescoped into its own section, consolidated with adjacent topics, or is new or emphasised relative to PAS 79.
Topic-based on purpose. PAS 79's exact section numbering shifts between editions; assessors think in topics regardless. The BS 9792 references are the same standard numbers used across the FRA Flow workbench.
Migration map
PAS 79 -> BS 9792:2025
16 topics. Order roughly mirrors the BS 9792:2025 section sequence, so the table reads as a walk through the new standard.
Fire hazards
Unchanged- Under PAS 79
- Identifying fire hazards (sources of ignition, fuel, oxygen).
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §13 Fire hazards
What changed: Same scope: identify ignition sources, fuel loads, and routes for fire spread. BS 9792:2025 keeps this as the opening hazard-identification section before moving to likelihood.
Likelihood of fire
Rescoped- Under PAS 79
- Assessing the likelihood of fire occurring (often combined with hazard identification).
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §14 Likelihood of fire
What changed: BS 9792:2025 splits "likelihood" out as its own section. The assessor now writes a separate evaluation rather than rolling it into hazard-identification prose.
Fire detection and warning
Consolidated- Under PAS 79
- Means of detection and means of warning, often written as separate sub-sections.
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §15.2 Fire detection and warning
What changed: Detection and warning are now assessed as one combined block, since most modern systems are integrated. Coverage and audibility on escape routes is the same on-site check.
Means of escape
Unchanged- Under PAS 79
- Means of escape (a core PAS 79 area).
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §15.3 Means of escape
What changed: Same on-site check: travel distances, alternative routes, stair widths, final exits, obstructions. BS 9792:2025 expects the underlying evidence (photos, observations) to link explicitly to the section, which PAS 79 did not formalise.
Signs and notices
Rescoped- Under PAS 79
- Signs and fire-action notices, sometimes folded into management.
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §15.4 Signs and notices
What changed: BS 9792:2025 promotes signs and notices to a dedicated physical-measures section alongside escape and detection, rather than treating them as a management afterthought.
Emergency escape lighting
Unchanged- Under PAS 79
- Emergency escape lighting.
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §15.5 Emergency escape lighting
What changed: Same scope. The section now sits in a clear physical-measures sequence (15.2 to 15.10) rather than being scattered through the assessment.
Manual firefighting equipment
Unchanged- Under PAS 79
- Means of fighting fire (extinguishers and similar).
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §15.6 Manual firefighting equipment
What changed: Extinguisher placement, type, condition, and last service. BS 9792:2025 separates manual firefighting equipment from automatic suppression (15.8); under PAS 79 they were often discussed together.
Compartmentation, fire doors, fire-stopping
Consolidated- Under PAS 79
- Compartmentation; fire doors; fire-stopping at service penetrations (often three separate areas).
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §15.7 Separating elements (compartmentation, fire doors, fire stopping)
What changed: BS 9792:2025 brings compartmentation, fire doors, and fire-stopping together as one "separating elements" block. Reads better as a unified assessment of how the building resists fire spread between flats and into common parts.
Automatic suppression
Rescoped- Under PAS 79
- Sprinklers / mist systems, sometimes folded into "means of fighting fire".
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §15.8 Automatic suppression systems
What changed: Now its own section, separate from manual firefighting equipment (15.6). Often "not applicable" for older blocks; new builds and post-Grenfell retrofits make this a more frequent on-site check than under PAS 79.
Loadbearing structure
New or emphasised- Under PAS 79
- Implicit in compartmentation or building description; rarely a stand-alone section.
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §15.9 Loadbearing elements of structure
What changed: BS 9792:2025 calls out loadbearing structure explicitly. Visible signs of damage, alteration, or deterioration that could affect fire performance are now a dedicated check rather than a passing mention.
External walls (cladding, balconies)
New or emphasised- Under PAS 79
- Mentioned but rarely assessed as a standalone section pre-Grenfell.
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §15.10 External wall assessment
What changed: The biggest change. BS 9792:2025 makes external walls (cladding system, balconies, combustible attachments) an explicit section, with a cross-reference to any existing EWS1 or PAS 9980 review. Often treated as out-of-scope on a Type 1 FRA but the assessor still has to record that the cross-reference was checked.
Smoke control
Rescoped- Under PAS 79
- Smoke ventilation often discussed under means of escape rather than its own section.
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §15.11 Smoke control systems
What changed: Now its own section. Corridor and stair smoke control systems are checked here. Typically not applicable to HMOs (the BS 9792 template defaults to NA for HMO building types).
Firefighting facilities for the fire and rescue service
Rescoped- Under PAS 79
- Dry / wet risers, firefighting shafts; often under "means of fighting fire".
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §15.12 Systems for use by the fire and rescue service
What changed: Promoted to its own section. Premises information box (PIB) checks land here. Typically not applicable to low-rise blocks and HMOs.
Fire safety management
Unchanged- Under PAS 79
- Management arrangements: responsible person, evacuation strategy, training, record-keeping.
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §16 Fire safety management
What changed: Same scope: the responsible person, evacuation strategy, training, and the system for keeping the FRA current. BS 9792:2025 expects the audit trail (review dates, change log) to be explicit; the underlying questions are unchanged.
Likely consequences of fire
Rescoped- Under PAS 79
- Discussed within risk evaluation rather than as a stand-alone section.
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §17 Likely consequences of fire
What changed: BS 9792:2025 carves "consequences" out as its own section before the overall assessment. Reads as a deliberate sequence: hazards (13) -> likelihood (14) -> protective measures (15.x) -> consequences (17) -> overall (18).
Overall risk assessment
Unchanged- Under PAS 79
- Overall risk rating, action plan, and review date typically rolled together.
- Under BS 9792:2025
- §18 Assessment of fire risk
What changed: Same destination: a defended overall risk rating drawing the preceding sections together. The action plan and review-date discipline carry over from PAS 79; the structural change is upstream (each preceding section is more explicit).
Stop migrating manually
FRA Flow is built on BS 9792:2025 from the start.
The data model, capture flow, and report skeleton mirror the new standard. No retrofitted PAS 79 forms; no manual section re-mapping. Free for two reports a month, no card required.
- BS 9792:2025 native section template, not a PAS 79 retrofit
- External wall assessment flow built in (no longer an afterthought)
- Evidence-linked AI paragraphs your reviewer can verify
- Same audit-trail discipline BS 9792 expects