Public Safety Leadership Training for First RespondersTRAININGTOMORROW'SLEADERSTODAY
A nationwide leadership development firm building confident, principled leaders for law enforcement, fire departments, EMS, and public administration. Training is delivered on-site at your facility, live online, or as a hybrid of the two.
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Principled
Leadership Training
for
Public Admin
First-Line Supervisor Leadership Training
Executive Command Leadership Training
Decision-Making Under Pressure
Communication & Community Trust
Culture, Ethics & Accountability
Since 2015
Chief-led training firm
40+ Years
Law enforcement leadership
4 Sectors
Police, Fire, EMS, Public Admin
Nationwide
On-site, online, or hybrid
Grow leaders, culture, and performance.
Make quality decisions backed up by data and best practices.
Communicate clearly, building credibility and trust.
Lead with character and integrity.
Chief-led instruction, trusted results.
Since 2015Trusted leadership training
Chief-LedFounded by a police chief
4 SectorsPolice, Fire, EMS, Public Admin
NationwideOn-site, online, or hybrid
Grow leaders, culture, and performance.
Make quality decisions backed up by data and best practices.
Communicate clearly, building credibility and trust.
Lead with character and integrity.
Chief-led instruction, trusted results.
Since 2015Trusted leadership training
Chief-LedFounded by a police chief
4 SectorsPolice, Fire, EMS, Public Admin
NationwideOn-site, online, or hybrid
40+
years of
experience
The Practical Approach ToReal World Leadership
At Thatcher Lewis, we train public safety and civic teams with practical tools that hold up under pressure. Instruction comes from a career chief with agency and city leadership experience. Training is built to address the challenges of your agency.
Chief-led delivery, nationwide
Scenario-Based Coaching
For public safety leaders
In-Person Police and Public SafetyLeadership Training
Leadership training built for Law Enforcement, Fire Departments, EMS, and Public Administration. Each focus area below develops the practical skills your people need to lead at every level of the organization.
Culture, Ethics and Accountability
Values-based leadership training for law enforcement agencies, fire and EMS departments, and public administration.
Critical Communication
Equip leaders with the skills for the critical conversations your organization needs at every level.
Build Community Trust
Use clear explanations, respectful contact, and a consistent process to increase voluntary compliance, reduce complaints, and strengthen public confidence on every call.
Make Quality Decisions
Build leaders who make thoughtful, policy-aligned decisions using data, case studies, and best practices to guide daily operations and long-term strategy.
Field Leadership Essentials
Equip informal leaders to run scenes, brief and debrief, allocate resources, and keep personnel safe and effective in the field.
Executive Training
Turn rank into real leadership. Train managers and supervisors in standards, coaching, documentation, and communication that earns trust and drives accountability.
Experienced and World ClassLeadership Instruction
Partner with a career police chief who has led law enforcement agencies and now trains fire departments, EMS services, and public administration organizations. We tailor every course to your agency's policies and goals, using proven methods and follow-through that improve performance.
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What We Teach,And Who It Is For
Thatcher Lewis is a nationwide firm that teaches public safety leadership training courses to four groups of public servants: law enforcement, fire departments, EMS, and public administration. The first three run the emergency response; local government departments run the services around it. Each engagement is delivered on-site at your facility, live online, or as a hybrid of the two, and the curriculum is rebuilt against your own general orders, SOPs, and policies before anyone walks into the room.
Two courses are published, and they map to the two moments a career actually turns. Essentials is first-line supervisor training for the corporal, sergeant, company officer, or crew lead who was a peer last month and owns the shift today. Executive is executive leadership training for lieutenants, command staff, chief officers, and the city or county administrators who answer for the whole organization.
Both courses are taught by founder Chief Jon Fehlman, who has led from patrol to chief of police since 1984 and founded the firm in 2015. The material comes out of decisions he had to make and defend, which is why the classroom work is scenario-based rather than theoretical.
Who trains with us
- Law enforcementCorporals, sergeants, lieutenants, command staff, chiefs
- Fire departmentsCompany officers, battalion chiefs, station leadership
- EMSCrew leads, field supervisors, operations chiefs
- Public administrationCity and county department heads and administrators
How it is delivered
- On-siteAt your facility, or at a host agency nearby
- Live onlineInstructor-led over video, in real time
- HybridPart in person, part online across a schedule
Two course levels
- EssentialsTraining Tomorrow's Leaders Today, for first-line supervisors
- ExecutiveExecutive Leadership Growth, for command staff and executives
Founder and Chief
Jon Fehlman
Decades ofPublic Safety Leadership
Jon Fehlman is a career law-enforcement leader whose public-safety service began in 1984, advancing from patrol through supervision and command to chief of police. His experience in community-oriented policing, crisis leadership, accountability, and organizational culture shapes Thatcher Lewis’s practical approach to public-safety leadership training. Rather than presenting leadership as abstract theory, Jon connects each lesson to the decisions supervisors and command staff must make in the field, the squad room, the station, and city hall.
Through Thatcher Lewis, Jon personally leads flagship training engagements for law enforcement, fire departments, EMS, and public administration. Each course is customized to the organization’s policies, leadership levels, operational risks, and community priorities, helping emerging leaders, first-line supervisors, and executives strengthen communication, coaching, ethical decision-making, critical conversations, and accountability. The goal is straightforward: give leaders a repeatable framework they can apply on the next shift to set clear standards, address problems early, develop their people, and lead with credibility.
Get In Touch- Serving Since
- 1984
- Founder Jon Fehlman's public-safety career began in 1984.
- Firm Founded
- 2015
- Thatcher Lewis has delivered leadership training since 2015.
- Sectors Served
- 4
- Law enforcement, fire departments, EMS, and public administration.
- Ways to Train
- 3
- Delivered on-site, live online, or hybrid, customized to your agency.
We're here to help
We start with a short discovery call, review your policies and goals, and identify the highest-risk scenarios you face. Then we tailor modules and role-specific exercises.
Sessions combine teaching blocks, scenarios, and discussion within each teaching block. Each day introduces clear frameworks for decision-making, problem-solving, and communication. Class sizes stay small enough for coaching and teaching but large enough for different perspectives and discussions.
Participants are asked to complete post class evaluations and performance reviews. We take your feedback to continue to build and improve our classes. We share the information with the client upon request.
POST credit is not yet available. Individual agencies may submit for POST approval. We supply learning objectives, hours, instructor bios, outlines, and assessments so your training unit can submit for POST or local approval. We also provide completion certificates for personnel files and audits.
Contact us with your preferred dates and goals. We will scope the course, confirm instructor availability, and send a proposal. Hosting requires a classroom, a projector for PowerPoint, and stable WiFi. We travel nationwide and offer transparent pricing. Invoicing or pay-on-site options are available by prior arrangement.
Real success stories from ourcoaching clients and agencies
Testimonials
“I would not hesitate to work with Jon Fehlman again and recommend him without reservation. His combination of professional excellence, knowledge, and meticulous attention to detail, make him an invaluable colleague and professional partner.”
Ray Juengst | Public Safety Director
St. Charles, Missouri
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