RNLI house style
As part of the RNLI brand, house style will help you write to a high standard, inspiring confidence and credibility. By following the house style you can get messages across more effectively.
The RNLI's house style includes both specialist RNLI terminology and more wide-ranging language. It gives guidance on correct use, spelling and formatting, including capitalisation, italicisation, hyphenation and punctuation.
If there are any queries please contact Editor Bethany Hope.

RNLI emails and presentations are often full of abbreviations and acronyms. Be aware that this can reach a point where the text looks encrypted.
Do not use RNLI-specific abbreviations if you are writing for an external audience. Do not use department-specific abbreviations for those outside your team or department.
If it is really cumbersome to use an often-repeated specialist term in full, for example health and safety or public rescue equipment, then use the acronym H&S, PRE after introducing it in full.
Here's a selection of RNLI abbreviations to help translate:
ALB – all-weather lifeboat
ALC – All-weather Lifeboat Centre
ATV – all terrain vehicle
AX – Dynamics AX (use in full the first time and AX after, part of the Business Systems Modernisation programme)
BB – boarding boat
COACS – call out and communications system (pager system for crew)
COIR – Central Operations Information Room
CRM – customer relationship management
CPRS – confidential position reporting system
DF – direction finder
DoDo – drive-on drive-off (see also DoDo and drive-on drive-off)
EAM – engineering and asset management
EPIRB – emergency position indicating radio beacon
ES – Engineering and Supply
ESA – enabling stream analysis, part of continuous improvement
ETA – estimated time of arrival
F2F – face-to-face
FMM – Fundraising, Marketing and Media
GPS – global positioning system
H&S – health and safety
ILB – inshore lifeboat
ILC – Inshore Lifeboat Centre
IRB – inshore rescue boat
IRH – inshore rescue hovercraft
ITS – Insights, Technology and Strategy
LA – launch authority (was deputy launching authority)
L&R – launch and recovery
LMA – lifeboat medical adviser
LO – Lifesaving Operations
LOM – lifeboat operations manager
LRC – Learning Resources Centre
LSAR – lifesaving activity reporting (was returns of service)
LSC – Lifeboat Support Centre
MOB – man overboard
MRM – marketing resource management, a workflow management system
OCF – operational competence framework
PLB – personal locator beacon
PPE – protective personal equipment
PRE – public rescue equipment
RADAR – the RNLI's appraisal system
RARFS – refuelled and ready for service
RB – regional base
RIE – rapid improvement event, part of continuous improvement
RWC – rescue watercraft
SAR – search and rescue
SHE – safety, health and environment
SIA – Safety and Independent Assurance
SIMS – systems and information management system (computer software onboard lifeboats)
SLAS – Saving Lives at Sea
SLARS – Shannon launch and recovery system
SLT – Senior Leadership Team.
- Use no full stops or spaces in an abbreviation.
- Eliminate full stops wherever possible:
- UK, US
- Mr, Ms, Dr
- Hon, Rev
- MJ Smith
- am, pm
- PS
- Co Durham, Co Limerick
- St (Street or Saint)
- Rd
- Ltd
- Do not use shortened forms for months or days of the year: January, Monday, except in opening hours/listings where space is tight.
- See capitals (days; months).
- Use the full forms rather than abbreviations if space allows for:
- ie that is
- eg for example.
- Avoid the use of etc. Use 'and so on' if necessary.
- Abbreviations of job titles and organisations should always be spelled out in full the first time they appear.
- Therefore, in the first instance, use:
- Chief Executive (CE)
- International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF)
- National Health Service (NHS)
- Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)
- but
- CE, IMRF afterwards.
- There is no need to give the abbreviation if the term is not referred to again.
- The UK does not need to be spelled out, except when used in the charity statement. See charity status.
- Write Republic of Ireland in full, not RoI.
- Write the RNLI, not just RNLI. See also RNLI and capitals (services). Write an RNLI badge, not a RNLI badge.
- See RNLI and lifeboats.
See capitals (titles) for use of initial capitals when using the terms in full.
see names of people and foreign words
- We are committed to making RNLI communications accessible to everyone, online and offline.
- The Equality Act 2010 requires the RNLI as a service provider to take reasonable steps to ensure that all printed material and marketing activities are accessible to people with disabilities.
- We can make RNLI communications more accessible to people with visual impairment and to people who have hearing loss at little, or no, additional cost.
- For greater accessibility use plain English and avoid acronyms and jargon.
For more advice on making your content accessible see our accessibility top tips.
See diversity.
see capitals (titles)
Addresses should not be punctuated when written in blocks. Always include the postcode/Eircode on a separate line:
RNLI
West Quay Road
Poole
Dorset
BH15 1HZ
Punctuate addresses when written in lines, including before the postcode: Arklow Lifeboat Station, South Quay, Arklow, Co Wicklow, Y14 HW11.
No comma following the figure in a road or street address:
116 The High Street
not adrenalin
Write Advent with an initial capital for the period before Christmas.
When advent means arrival, keep it lower case.
(noun) advise (verb)
This housestyle can offer you some practical advice.
The Creative Services Team will advise you on how to use this house style.
See also practice and practise.
an RNLI personal, face-to-face safety advice service that takes place onboard.
not advisor
(verb)
To act upon, to change or to cause a change, to make a difference to, to have an effect on.
I was greatly affected by the roll of the waves.
but
The roll of the waves had an effect on me.
See effect.
Remember, people can be sensitive about their age, so check before using. Format as follows:
4-year-old boy
11-year-old girl
The 20-year-old said ...
Teresa (36) was shocked ...
John, who was 43 years old ...
Robert, aged 91, fundraised for the RNLI.
See numbers and measurements (time).
not air bag
All-weather Lifeboat Centre (ALC), Poole
See capitals (buildings/amenities/attractions/man-made features/venues) and abbreviations.
not all weather lifeboat
not alot
RNLI Ambassador (note initial capital)
Ambassador Wainwright
the French Ambassador.
See capitals – titles.
See capitals (buildings/amenities/attractions/man-made features/venues).
not amongst
and And
Avoid the use of ampersands (&):
Midsomer Norton and Radstock Branch, not Midsomer Norton & Radstock Branch.
Only use ampersands if it is part of the company name:
M&S, Tate & Lyle, or with certain abbreviations including P&D and H&S.
'And' can be used at the start of sentences but use it sparingly and correctly for special effect.
not an historical (as most people pronounce the h in historic)
Use 'he' or 'she' if the animal has a name, like Barney the dog or Nellie the elephant, and 'it' if it doesn't have a name.
see capitals (anniversaries)
Annual Report and Accounts
Note use of italics and capitals. See capitals (titles).
Apostrophes are used in two ways:
To denote a possessive – the crew member's Gold Medal
- With a plural possessive, the apostrophe goes after the s – the boys' school.
- When the noun itself is plural, the apostrophe appears before the s – the crew's gear, the children's laughter.
- With a singular possessive, the apostrophe goes before the s – the girl's ball.
- When using apostrophes possessively after an s, add another s: Charles's, Thomas's, unless the last syllable of the name is pronounced iz as in Bridges' and Moses', or the word itself is plural: members'.
- Father's Day, Mother's Day
- goat's cheese, sheep's cheese
To indicate that letters have been left out (contractions) - don't tell me what to do.
- It's – short for it is or it has. It's surprisingly common to make this mistake.
- but its – a possessive word (like my, your). Every country has its traditions.
- Use contractions – such as it's, can't, shouldn't, I'll – in more informal publications or letters or if quoting somebody but avoid overuse.
Do not use apostrophes in the plural forms of dates or abbreviations.
- For example: ILBs, 1990s, dos and don'ts (not ILB's, 1990's, do's and don't's).
see capitals (appeals/campaigns/competitions/programmes/roadshows/schemes)
plural appendices
Use inshore rescue boat (IRB) rather than Arancia, which is a trade name. See inshore rescue boat and abbreviations.
(initial capital)
This is not a class of lifeboat. A type of rigid inflatable lifeboat named after Atlantic College. Include the relevant type number where space allows: Atlantic 75 or 85. The Atlantic is a B class lifeboat. See lifeboat class.
See capitals (buildings/amenities/attractions/man-made features/ venues).
No initial capitals for generic use:
local authority funding
local authorities.
See also local and government/Government.
Formerly known as auxiliary coastguards, now known as volunteer coastguard rescue officers. See Coastguard.