Fire News Style Sheet

DATES:  Month, Day & Year - never a day of the week

COMPANY NAMES:  Never #

PARAGRAPH INDENT:  .2 (point 2)

SPACING:  One (1) space after period/before new sentence.

NUMBERS:

1-9 (one to nine):  spelled out

10 and up:  use number

If numbers start sentence, reword sentence or spell out number; ie., “Forty-two firefighters …”

HYPHENATIONS:

… first-due engine:  Engine 3 was first due

2-1/2 (stories, inches, etc.):  hyphenated numbers

Two-story:  hyphenated word

5-1/2 inch line:  Hyphen between primary & fraction

Five-inch line:  hyphenated

Two-car garage:  As noted

Two-story, two-car colonial:  Hyphen as noted

30- x 45-foot structure:  Hyphen as noted; spaced as noted

CAPITALIZATIONS:

Truck 38, Engine 12, etc:  Capital T, E, etc.

engines, ladders, trucks:  lower case

Chief Whitam (Firefighter, Captain):  Upper Case

The chief (firefighter, captain):  lower case

WORDS

Standby:  One word

Handline:  One word

RIT unit:  Never RIT team 

FAST unit:  Never FAST team

MVA:  NOT MVC

Medevac:  NOT medivac

Medevac (verb):  medevac’d

Self Extricated:  self-extricated