The Tinley Park Volunteer Fire Department was chartered on November 13, 1901, with original members including August Hentsch, Fred Hentsch, Christian Andres Jr., John C. Andres, William Funk, Henry Hopmann, Herman Stoeckmann, Henry Glogwortz, Richard Scharf, Fred Schmeideknecht, William Nielsen, George Boldt, William Rix, Philip Mager, John C. Funk, William Hollstein, Dan Rogers, F. Fulton, Ernst E. Rice, and Dick Bruening. Its chiefs included Henry Hopmann, Ernst E. Rice, George Bolot, John Rieber, Christian Andres Jr., Henry Brueggemann, Richard Scharf, Charles Nielsen, Fred Hick, William Mancke Sr., Edmund Moss, James English Sr., Milfred Bettenhausen, Robert Bettenhausen, Ronald A. Winterstein, and Kenneth Dunn, while its assistant chiefs included August Hentsch, William Funk, Richard Scharf, John Muff, John Andres, George Boldt, Edward Goesel, Henry Brueggemann, Ernst E. Rice, William Mancke Sr., James English Sr., Milfred Bettenhausen, Robert Bridge, Robert Bettenhausen, Charles E. Johnson, Ronald A. Winterstein, James Patton, Kenneth Dunn, Thomas Slepski, Mark Bettenhausen, and Henry A. Bettenhausen. A Fireman's Prayer expresses the calling of saving lives, rescuing children and older people, staying alert to the weakest shout, quickly and efficiently putting out fires, guarding every neighbor, protecting property, and asking God's blessing on a firefighter's children and wife if he is to lose his life.