All members of the Oban lifeboat crew do so voluntarily though the coxswain and mechanic are employed full time by the RNLI. Inevitably, there is a range of age and experience amongst the crew but they are all committed to serving the station to save lives at sea. Many of the crew work in Oban and all live within a couple of miles of the station. A significant proportion of the crew have a professional seafaring background though there are some without any previous maritime experience. In support of the crew and the station are the Station Officials who include the launching authorities and the medical advisor. The station is also fortunate to have an enthusiastic Ladies Guild whose members are continually raising money to supplement the funds of the organisation.

Crew training occurs on a regular basis. Exercises on the boat concentrate on familiarity and expertise with the gear and techniques. Sometime the exercises will include participation with helicopters, other vessels and divers in simulated incidents. Training continues ashore either in the station or the RNLI’s mobile training unit. More specialised courses in sea survival, fire fighting, engineering, search and rescue techniques and first aid are held at RNLI headquarters in Poole or at dedicated training centres.