Not really mate. Just from previous experience in the brigade. We have been told people can neither get PPE or get on a BFF1 course until they are brigade members... So the whole idea of getting people to do the courses before putting them in our numbers never works.
Methinks someone is playing word games. Or to put it more simply, "Bollocks".
Recruits have to be issued basic PPE to train with the brigade.
That basic PPE is quite adequate to do BFF1, even if second-hand.
It is writ in the induction paperwork (or used to be) that a recruit shall do
BFF1 during their probation.
The hard bit is finding a BFF1 course to put them on. For that, perhaps our
BTOs & GTO need to put their heads together a little more often.
Quite reasonable to withold flash new PPE until a recruit has demonstrated
their commitment & been accepted by the brigade.
That's how we work it up the hill, anyway.
cheers