RNLI Central Alerting And Messaging System.
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
A bespoke alerting platform that reduces response times for volunteer lifeboat crews, engineered for 99.999% uptime.
- 12.5M+ Crew Alerts Sent
- 99.999% Uptime
- 24/7/365 Supported By Zentive
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, founded in 1824, is the largest charity that saves lives at sea. It covers the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as some inland waterways. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations and 444 lifeboats, and has saved more than 140,000 lives since its foundation.
The Challenge
Most lifeboat stations are manned by volunteer crews, who are called to action at a moment’s notice. At the heart of this operation was a radio paging network that bleeps crews into action. This network, although reliable, lacked modern modes of communication and by modern standards was slow to activate, introducing a critical, avoidable delay.
The modernisation objective was to reduce response times while improving operational efficiency by providing stations with operational awareness data. The system required 99.999% uptime and the capability to manage traffic surges.
Our Solution
Zentive delivered a custom on-premises integration layer to the existing paging network, enabling direct alerting from Maritime Coastguard Agency systems. The platform offered push notification, SMS, telephone IVR and e-mail, alongside real-time crew availability visibility.
Results
Following a rigorous testing programme, RCAMS has now sent over 12.5 million crew alerts, supporting many thousands of lifeboat launches. The system is maintained and supported by Zentive 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.