At Dover with the exception of the Coxswain and Mechanic, the entire crew is composed of volunteers from the local community. These volunteers come from many backgrounds including port staff, and civil servants. They must live or work close enough to the station to ensure the lifeboat can launch quickly and efficiently.

The crew meet regularly on Tuesday evenings and Sunday Mornings to train in all aspects of seamanship, navigation and first aid.

Working in partnership with the crew are many other volunteers including the Lifeboat Operations Manager, Deputy Launching Authorities and the Fundraising Branch .