Chief Robert T. Bettenhausen was a co-founder and the first secretary/treasurer of the Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS). Chief Bettenhausen served as the fire chief and fire marshal of Tinley Park Fire Department. The Chief Robert T. Bettenhausen Scholarship to Symposium in the Sun is in honor of his many contributions to his community and the fire service as a whole. The scholarship seeks to assist chief officers from volunteer and combination departments which lack the financial resources to offer professional development to their leaders.