I am lead to belive that there is about to be (or has just been?) a change to regs that means that a new qualification is required to do the above.

Further, I understand that currently the only courses that provide the qual are regular SCBC and PCD (RMQ, SAAI etc does not give the qual). New courses are in the pipline but have yet to be rolled out for non-Inf and TA and that there are no 'grandfather rights'.

Does anyone have the gen on this?

Read Pam 21, cant go wrong.

Originally Posted by QRK2

I am lead to belive that there is about to be (or has just been?) a change to regs that means that a new qualification is required to do the above.

Further, I understand that currently the only courses that provide the qual are regular SCBC and PCD (RMQ, SAAI etc does not give the qual). New courses are in the pipline but have yet to be rolled out for non-Inf and TA and that there are no 'grandfather rights'.

Does anyone have the gen on this?

The M Qual is being introduced to cover blank firing. According to this thread here it's a 3 day conversion for those with a B Qual.

Originally Posted by RP578

Originally Posted by QRK2

I am lead to belive that there is about to be (or has just been?) a change to regs that means that a new qualification is required to do the above.

Further, I understand that currently the only courses that provide the qual are regular SCBC and PCD (RMQ, SAAI etc does not give the qual). New courses are in the pipline but have yet to be rolled out for non-Inf and TA and that there are no 'grandfather rights'.

Does anyone have the gen on this?

The M Qual is being introduced to cover blank firing. According to this thread here it's a 3 day conversion for those with a B Qual.

Thanks that reflects the rumours I've heard, but there is no ref to an (M) qual in para 0240 (the one on page 2-11, not the one on page 2-14, how unlike Pam 21 to have two paras with the same number!) in my Pam 21 (2007) edition (yes, Mr Jones I had tried the bleeding obvious), nor can I find any official ref to a conversion course.

Any more info around out in arrseland?

I've just done the M Qual T3 course, so this gen is current.

Basically, anyone wishing to use blank/pyro, regardless of arm/service, will require to be M qualified, unless they already hold SA (A) 90 or the WI qual (during which BLs/BEs are taught). This is due to some dramas (unspecified) happening during previous exercises with blank/pyro (I suspect unqualified staff getting caught out running a BL or BE or something similar).

Initially, we were told that all personnel attending the M qual course would have to be DIT qualified, although this has now been downgraded to any officer or NCO who can apply the principles of instruction correctly.

The M qual course is to be run in the same way as any of the cadres sponsored by the Distributed Trg Cell at LAND, i.e. you have to follow the lesson plans, etc on the CD-ROM, get authority to coduct the course from your SASC bloke and get the results vaildated/sent to the Distributed Trg Cell.

Our impression of the M qual was that it will offer greater flexibility in conducting training, as you can qualify junior officers and NCOs, without fixed range/field firing quals, to assist/conduct BLs/BEs.

Thanks, that's good info.

By whom and where is the M T3 course being run? An SASC Major of my aquaintance told me the course wasn't out yet and that the M Qual course would have to be run by SASC personnel if and when it came out (sounds like he might not have been entirely correct).

Do you know when the new regs are coming into force?

Any more info much appreciated, by PM if you would prefer.

Am I reading this right, we now need to be qualified to run a blank firing exercise? Even though many will have run a live firing operation and run live ranges.

Originally Posted by WhiteHorse

Am I reading this right, we now need to be qualified to run a blank firing exercise? Even though many will have run a live firing operation and run live ranges.

Yup! mental innit?
but the fact that you can do it as a stand alone will ease things for us considerably at the RTC!

When does the (M) qaual become mandatory/take effect from. My current job involves planning, conducting and suprvising blank firing exercises and this is the first I have heard!

This has potentially opened a big fcuck off can of worms! From what I have just read, all but one of my colleges are no longer quallified to do our jobs!

T_M

Originally Posted by the_mentalist

When does the (M) qaual become mandatory/take effect from. My current job involves planning, conducting and suprvising blank firing exercises and this is the first I have heard!

This has potentially opened a big fcuck off can of worms! From what I have just read, all but one of my colleges are no longer quallified to do our jobs!

T_M

The new policy was included in a DInf policy letter dated 19th October and comes into effect immediately. In order to conduct Blank Firing/Use of Pyro, an individual has to be SA (A) 90, SA(C) 90, SA(D) 90 or SA(E) 90 qualified. SA (B) 90 ? Computer says no ! (Usual rules apply i.e ignorance of the policy is no defence !)