Jasper, You are opening a whole big can of worms, as this is a well known chestnut. There will no doubt be contention over what I am about to write, but here goes anyway:
1. Officers of FRSs have received, are receiving and will receive training from various sources. Many now receive training from consultants. This includes not just ourselves but several other consultancy orgainzations, most, or probably all, of whom are just as competent to provide the training as we are. Happily, most of us, I think, sing from a similar hymn sheet. The others are simply not as young and good looking as me.
2. There is NO such thing as a ''correct'' format. This is the view of the ODPM, and more or less universal view of all professionals in the business. PAS 79 also makes this clear (I hope).
3. PAS 79 is based on the course we have run for some years, and not the other way round. We use the example format in PAS 79 as an EXAMPLE of a suitable format for the WFPL, stressing that there are many other equally suitable formats.
4. This issue of description is contentious, and usually stems from the Management Regs requirement to record the preventive and protective measures. There are those who think that game set and match this means describe them in detail. It does not. In fact, the requirement does not take you down the road any further at all in terms of definitive requirements. If you record that there is adequate emergency escape lighting, you are recording a protective measure. Look at it this way. The Regulations in question come from H&S Directives. If you record in a H&S RA that there is a suitable number of first aid boxes throughout the building is that not a record of a protective measure? Where does it say you need to write a 1500 word essay on where they are and how many Band Aids they contain? There was an ADO in legislative fire safety in a large met brigade (No Not yours messey, this time) who insisted that this meant that the significant findings included a schedule of each and every FRSC door in the premises. None of the inspecting officers in the FRS seemed to take a blind bit of notice of this, but he was permitted to tell employers this until he retired, when his boss then cheerfully admitted that it was never the case.
5 Carrying out an FRA saves lives. Writing beautifully scripted essays does not.
6. Be careful in terms of pubs as they need a plan showing fire precautions for licensing applications.
Hope this helps.