The Chief

	Bill Van Helden William “Bill” Van Helden became a member of the Cape Coral Fire Department in 1996. Bill served as Division Chief in the Fire Department’s Administration and Operations Divisions until his appointment to Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director in August of 2002.
Bill has many significant contributions to the City of Cape Coral. He was diligent in overseeing the implementation of an Advanced Life Support (ALS) program for the City of Cape Coral. He was instrumental in the creation of the Cape Coral Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which is the first EOC in Southwest Florida to be operated by an individual city. During the years prior to joining the Cape Coral Fire Department, Bill was Deputy Chief for the Lehigh Acres Fire Department and moved on to become the Deputy Director for Lee County Public Safety.