Cape Coral Fire Chief Bill Van Helden spoke at the "A Day of Remembrance" ceremony, as well as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8463 "9/11 Remembrance" event. Held at noon at the post, the VFW ceremony also included guest speakers, as well as a 21-gun salute and wreath presentations. Van Helden commented at both services on the atmosphere in America following Sept. 11th. "There was a lot of mistrust that came to our country," he said, adding that the public found trust though in its public safety and emergency workers, pilots and flight crews, and military personnel. "There will always be a group of people you can trust," he said referring to uniformed personnel.

"This system provides an opportunity for residents and business owners to be notified in the event that an emergency situation exists that impacts them or their area," said Bill Van Helden, Cape Coral's Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director. "It also provides another valuable communications tool for emergency management agencies." The CodeRED system not only offers faster calling rates and improved message delivery, it gives individuals and businesses the ability to add their own phone numbers directly to the system's telephone database. If your phone number is not in the database, you will not be called. To ensure no one is omitted, Van Helden urges all individuals and businesses to click on the link in the opening paragraph and go to the "CodeRED Residential and Business Data Collection" page. "The information supplied only will be used for emergency notification purposes," said Van Helden.

You'll need five to seven days worth of provisions, according to Cape Coral Fire Chief Bill Van Helden, in order to make it through the time it will take to restore power and bring certain elements back on line. Van Helden said it also is important to add a tarp to that hurricane emergency kit, which could come in handy if roof damage occurs and it takes a while to get contractors out to plug any holes. Mold damage could be spared with the use of a tarp, he said, as mold can cost as much to fix as the roof itself. "Doing a temporary covering can help save you a lot of headaches in the long run," Van Helden said. The city is also facing some new challenges regarding the storm surge threat from hurricanes. Van Helden said the storm surge from a Category 2 storm was previously considered a threat to half of the city, but the elevations have been adjusted and a Category 2 storm surge would now be considered a threat to two thirds of the city. A Category 3 storm surge would now encompass the entire city, according to Van Helden. "But that's a worst, worst, worst case scenario," Van Helden added. City emergency responders start to gear up about five days before the storm is predicted to make landfall, and as the storm evolves, so does the potential response from the city, according to Van Helden. Cape Coral also stays in constant contact with the county's emergency operation center during the storm, utilizing a liaison that stays in Lee's EOC during the storm. That role previously fell on Assistant City Manager Carl Schwing, but since Schwing is set to leave the city for the top administrative post on Bonita Springs, Van Helden said Parks and Recreation Director Steve Pohlman has accepted the role. "He (Pohlman) understands a great deal about how we operate in the city," Van Helden said. With the flood elevations changing, so will the number of Red Cross shelters in the city, and the county, but Van Helden said the details of those changes are still being worked out as the county has the final say. Van Helden stressed the importance of being ready for anything during hurricane season and that a full list from the All Hazards Guide can be found on the county's website. "You need food and water for five to seven days. You need to make sure you have medication, diapers, basic things to get your family through," he said.

National Fire Prevention Week runs Oct. 3-9, and the theme this year is: "Smoke Alarms: A sound you can live with.""National Fire Prevention Week focuses on promoting fire safety and prevention throughout the year," Fire Chief Bill Van Helden said in a prepared statement.

Cape Coral Fire Chief Bill Van Helden at National Day of Prayer event Cape Coral Fire Chief Bill Van Helde...0m29s | May. 03, 2012 Cape Coral Fire Chief Bill Van Helden at National Day of Prayer event Cape Coral Fire Chief Bill Van Helde...0m29s | May. 03, 2012