FORGED NOTES
- Duke Miskiv
- Dec 16, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 16, 2025
Tower Talk: Service Before Self
A Conversation with Ocean Forged Ambassador Tom Miskiv, Lifeguard Supervisor at Nauset Beach
Summer is over.
No towers.
No whistles.
No urgency in the air.
We sat in my quiet backyard in Sausalito as the light faded, far from Cape Cod and the Atlantic. It felt like the right place to talk, not in the middle of the work, like most tower talks, but after a lifetime of it.
Tom began as a U.S. Air Force crash rescue firefighter, then spent decades as a municipal firefighter on Cape Cod and an EMT for over 30 years. Today, he is the lifeguard supervisor at Nauset Beach in Orleans, Massachusetts.
He’s worn a lot of hats. But listening to him, it becomes clear it was always the same job.
Helping people on what might be the worst day of their lives.
A Life in Emergency Services
Tom’s path into service began with the U.S. Air Force National Guard.
In 1990, he entered military crash rescue fire protection, a role he would hold for 25 years. He retired in 2015 as a Master Sergeant, serving as Assistant Chief of Operations. The military gave him a foundation in discipline, training, and leadership, and taught him how to stay calm when the stakes are high.
While still serving, Tom also worked as a civilian firefighter, building experience that carried directly into his next chapter.
In 1998, he transitioned into municipal firefighting on Cape Cod, where he spent more than two decades responding to thousands of calls each year. He retired in 2020 with the rank of Lieutenant.
Alongside that work, he became an EMT, a role he has held for over 30 years.
Lifeguarding was not a detour from that path. It became another extension of the same mission.
By the time Tom stepped into a lifeguard tower, he had already spent decades making decisions where timing, communication, and trust mattered.
Today, Tom serves as the lifeguard supervisor at Nauset Beach in Orleans, Massachusetts.
He oversees more than 20 lifeguards covering a public surf beach and miles of off-road coastline. It is Atlantic-facing water, known for heavy surf, strong rip currents, and one of the most concentrated great white shark populations in the United States.
It is not a place for shortcuts.
What the Job Really Means
When asked what the work has meant to him over the years, Tom did not talk about adrenaline or heroics.
He talked about responsibility.
Emergency services gave him a way to support his family. More importantly, it gave him a way to give back.
His wife is a nurse. Two of his daughters are firefighters. His son is a full-time lifeguard. His third daughter works in public service as well, with the Department of Public Works. Service is not just a career in his family. It is a value.
“You show up when people are having the worst day of their lives,” Tom said. “If you can make that day better, even a little bit, that matters.”
It is the same mindset he has carried into every role he has taken on since.
The Parts People Do Not See
Most people have a picture in their head of what firefighters and lifeguards do.
Firefighters, they think, sit around until something happens. Lifeguards, they think, sit in chairs getting tan.
The reality is very different.
A lifeguard does not wait for a dispatcher to send them to a call. They see the emergency unfolding in real time. They make the decisions themselves when to go, when to call for backup, when seconds matter.
They spend hours scanning the water. Managing the public. Staying physically and mentally ready long before anything goes wrong.
It is not an easy job. It takes skill. It takes focus. And it can be stressful.
Most of that work happens long before anyone notices.
Staying Calm When Things Go Sideways
How do you stay calm when everything goes sideways?
For Tom, the answer always comes back to training.
Training builds muscle memory. Repetition builds confidence. When chaos hits, you fall back on what you have practiced.
“You can’t fake it,” Tom said. “You have to be ready physically and mentally, because things are going to happen.”
That mindset carries across every discipline he has worked in, firefighting, EMS, and ocean lifeguarding.
Different environments. Same fundamentals.
Teamwork, Communication, and Trust
When Tom talks about rescues, he rarely talks about individuals.
He talks about teams.
A great rescuer is not defined by size or strength. It is someone who is trained, reliable, and backed by people they trust and who trusts them in return.
At the center of all of that is communication.
During emergencies, things move fast. Situations escalate. That is when communication matters most, not just what you say, but how you say it.
“Before I get on the radio, I take a breath,” Tom said. “I know what I’m going to say, and I keep an even tone.”
Taking a breath before speaking. Knowing what needs to be said. Keeping calm when everything else is moving.
Clear communication can calm a situation instead of adding to the chaos.
Leadership Means Showing Up
As a supervisor, Tom believes leadership is not about rank. It is about credibility.
The best leaders he worked for listened. They communicated clearly. They did not ask their teams to do anything they would not do themselves.
“People know when you’re faking it,” Tom said.
Good leaders train their people for the next position. They correct mistakes when necessary. They set standards and hold themselves to those same standards.
Respect comes from consistency. Approachability comes from treating people the way you would want to be treated.
Ocean Forged Ambassador: Tom
Tom is an Ocean Forged Ambassador because he represents everything we strive to build.
Nearly five decades of service across military firefighting, civilian fire departments, EMS, and ocean lifeguarding have shaped his understanding of trust, preparation, and responsibility.
He believes in training until it becomes instinct. In communication that brings calm to chaos. In leadership that shows up shoulder to shoulder with the team.
At Ocean Forged, we do not build gear for hype or trends. We build it for people like Tom. Professionals who work in unforgiving environments where failure is not an option and trust is earned over time.
Being an Ocean Forged Ambassador is not about influence. It is about experience, integrity, and a lifelong commitment to service.
Closing Thoughts
When asked how he would describe himself after all these years, Tom did not narrow it down to a single title.
Firefighter.
Lifeguard.
EMT.
To him, they are all part of the same thing.Emergency services as a whole.
Even in retirement, or whatever retirement means when you are still leading a team, those identities never disappear.
They stay with you.
Some people do not just do the job.
They live it.
Forged Notes is an ongoing series highlighting people who have dedicated their lives to service. Check back for future stories.
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