Everyday Life with Room for Career, Family, and Future Plans

From Remote Work to Colleagues in Everyday Life

After working at Peab, Extena, and most recently WSP, Madelen Lidén is moving from the private sector to the public sector, joining her husband Erik Sellman as a municipal employee.

“I’m most looking forward to having colleagues on a daily basis again. I’ve been working remotely in recent years, and what will be the most enjoyable is having a workplace to go to. On my first day, my daughter pointed out: ‘Mum, now you’re going to work.’ My previous job meant I was sitting at home in front of the computer,” says Madelen.

As a newly appointed facilities strategist in Norsjö Municipality, Madelen will be responsible for reviewing the needs within municipal operations and assessing what facilities the municipality has available. The work requires thinking several steps ahead and being resourceful.

“A new swimming and sports hall is definitely the end goal, but as I said, it requires quite a lot of work to make it a reality. Being part of that process feels incredibly exciting. On top of that, through this job I get to contribute to the place where I live, which feels fantastic,” says Madelen.

Madelen shares everyday life with her husband Erik and their children, Lilly and Vidar. They feel that Norsjö works perfectly for them, even though the idea of moving has come up. It was mainly about Erik’s long-standing dream of working full-time in the rescue services. Madelen felt they could absolutely move, but Erik preferred to stay.

“Then the position as a fire inspector came up, so now I split my time between the rescue services in Norsjö and Malå. I didn’t want to live in a city, and the sense of security here is worth so much. There are also incredible opportunities for children to take part in various sports—they don’t have to choose but can participate in whatever is available,” says Erik.

More People Needed in the Rescue Services

The world is changing, and the demands on the rescue services are increasing. Cooperation between the rescue services in Norsjö and Malå has therefore been further strengthened through collaboration with the rescue services in Arvidsjaur, including a shared rescue chief and fire inspectors.

“We have also started a fire brigade unit in Bastuträsk. We hope to have it up and running before the summer,” says Erik.

Malå already has a fire inspector. The rescue services have hired a new person who will work half-time as a fire inspector in Norsjö/Malå and half-time as an emergency preparedness coordinator in Malå. The rescue chief is shared with Arvidsjaur.

There is a clearly defined cooperation across inland municipalities, where several municipalities within what is known as Region 10 share resources. The municipalities of Norsjö, Malå, Sorsele, Arvidsjaur, and Arjeplog have launched a three-year project. As part of this, a RUHB coordinator (rescue during heightened preparedness) has been hired to work on crisis preparedness planning. The project is funded by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency.

“For the first time in fifteen years, we have fully staffed standby teams in Norsjö, but there is still a need for more part-time firefighters. We want to be able to provide training in a calm and structured way, and we would like a stable group that can step in if needed—for example, if someone is on sick leave,” says Erik.

With new roles and strong commitment, Madelen and Erik are helping to develop the Norsjö region. Their work makes a difference—both within municipal operations and in people’s everyday lives.