Celebrating Public Service Recognition Week: Collaborating with partners to make life better

During Public Service Recognition Week, we focus on celebrating the good state employees do for the people of Minnesota. From emergency response to rules that shape our daily life to fire prevention, these are just a few examples of the many ways public service professionals serve — and partner with — Minnesotans to make life better.

Cassie Calametti: How can we help you?

Cassie Calametti partners with emergency managers across the state to make sure Minnesotans are ready for anything. 

As a Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) operations chief for the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), she helps the SEOC run when it’s activated in response to a disaster, emergency or terrorist event. 

Her team collaborates with state agencies and local partners to move resources — ranging from personnel to equipment to supplies — where they’re needed most during disasters. She also works across borders, connecting Minnesota with other states and Canadian provinces. 

Calametti’s work is not limited to emergencies, though. She spends much of her time helping communities prepare through training, including teaching in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Basic Academy. 

After 22 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, she shifted from a directive style to a more collaborative approach. “Federal and state processes are very different,” Calametti says. “While the Coast Guard tends to focus on saving the day, we’re here to ask, ‘How can we help you?’”

Much of her team’s work happens behind the scenes. They monitor weather, flood and other conditions across the state every day, staying ready to respond at a moment’s notice.

Her favorite part of her job right now? “It’s working with everyone at HSEM; we all care about our job of being there when Minnesota is in need.”

---

Ian Lewenstein: Listening that shapes state laws

Ian Lewenstein partners with the public to turn ideas into laws people can understand and use. 

As a legal drafter, he collaborates with multiple state agencies to write administrative rules which put detail into what legislators create as statues. Lewenstein’s job is to fill out the complex elements that make a law, making sure rules are clear, legally sound and grounded in evidence. 

This includes writing statements to justify rules' proposed requirements and working closely with subject matter experts, agency partners and the public.

Rulemaking is a long, collaborative process. Lewenstein gathers input early, publishes drafts for public comment and, when needed, leads public hearings overseen by an independent administrative law judge. That judge must approve the rule before it can go into effect as a law.

“A lot of these rules affect people, even though there’s no fanfare." For example, rules on student driver education and work zone safety teach students the importance of slowing down in work zones helps protect those workers.

“We do a lot of work listening,” Lewenstein says, and he uses that every day to help ensure Minnesotans have a voice in the laws that shape their everyday lives.

---

Doug Johnson: Teaching more than stop, drop and roll

Deputy State Fire Marshal Doug Johnson partners with fire departments, businesses and community groups across the state to keep Minnesotans safe long before a fire starts. 

As a fire and life safety educator, Johnson's goal is to reduce fire risk through education.

His work is grounded in data. Through that data, he identifies high-risk communities and focuses outreach on where it’s needed most. For example, adults 65 and older are twice as likely to die in a fire, and that population is growing. That’s the group he wants to spend a lot of his time educating, Johnson says.

Small but important fire prevention details — like the fact smoke detectors don’t last forever and must be checked regularly — are critical teaching points for elderly communities, as well as for all Minnesotans.

Johnson and the State Fire Marshal division collaborate to help fire departments and communities by balancing emergency response training with prevention training. “We used to talk about stop, drop and roll. That’s not preventive. That’s what to do after the fire has already started. But what if we learned prevention techniques so we’re never caught in a fire?” 

According to Johnson, what might surprise the public is how many different people are involved in prevention. Inspectors, code officials and educators all play a role, working together to help Minnesotans stay safe at home and in their communities before a fire begins.

“I love what I do. I'm also grateful for what I do because I’m able to help Minnesotans stay safe.”

 

Inspired by these stories?

Consider a role with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and be part of the work that truly makes life better for the community. Learn more by visiting the jobs page on our website.