RNLI supporters in the UK can now stay connected with lifeboat launches on their mobile phones.

Choose your favourite stations and receive an SMS message once the lifeboat has launched on emergency service.

You choose how much you’d like to pay for each message received. A portion of the fee will come to the RNLI, so not only are you kept in the know, you are also contributing to the real cost of the lifeboat launch. The amount donated depends on your mobile operator.

The SMS alerts are triggered by the crew pager system so, shortly after they get the call, you do too. However, unlike our volunteer crews, you can choose what time of day you’d like to receive alerts and set a limit on how many messages you receive. You can also pause the service for a while, for example if you’re going abroad on holiday. To sign up, visit rnli.org.uk/sms-launch-alerts.

Unfortunately, it would be too costly for the RNLI to set a similar service up in the RoI at this time.