By Matt Schickling
Wire Staff Writer
There are some flames that never go out.
Enterprise Fire Company in Hatboro paid respect to one of its own during a Sept. 24 memorial at the firehouse on Byberry Road. Garbutt W. “Mike” Aiman passed away on Aug. 16 at 93 years old. He served 75 years as a first responder and firefighter, with 16 years as fire chief.
“He was a very dedicated, forward-thinking fire chief,” Joe Lutz, a Hatboro firefighter since 1957 and close friend of Aiman, said. “He was in charge and everybody knew it.”
Aiman was an advocate for modernizing the department for first-response efficiency. Before Aiman’s tenure as chief, the firetrucks did not have ladders and had an open-cab design. He addressed both of these issues in the 1960s, updating the trucks to better serve the community.
“It took the fun out of driving in a thunderstorm,” Lutz joked. “But they were safer for everyone involved.”
Aiman also equipped his personal vehicle with a radio and other gear so he could respond to emergencies no matter what he was doing.
By trade, Aiman was president at Colonial Realty in Hatboro before there was much development in the area. Many of those present, including his son-in-law David Cooper, credited Aiman with building up the community with his business, but everybody knew what came first.
“If he was closing a $2 million deal and the alarm went off, he’d say, ‘I’ll be back’ and meet [his crew] at the fire,” Cooper said.
Aiman lived in Hatboro for his entire life. He graduated from the old Hatboro High School, where he was a football star. He left Hatboro only briefly to serve as a U.S. Naval Air Cadet during World War II.
He raised his family literally a stone’s throw from the firehouse. Google Maps places 131 feet between the two properties.
“Mike had the best attendance of anyone,” Lutz said. “All he had to do was walk down the street.”
Aiman is survived by his children, Cindy Cooper, Kim Terwilliger and Guy Aiman. He was predeceased by wife, Doris, and daughter, Joy. He had five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. By all accounts given on the day of his memorial, Aiman was a true family man.
“He was the kind of father that you both had fun with and respected,” Aiman’s son, Guy, said. “A fire didn’t stand a chance in our house.”
A similar notion came from his fellow firefighters, who shared some of their favorite memories of Aiman and praised him as a chief.
“Chief Aiman set the gold standard,” said Past Chief Fred Zollers. “He was always smiling and had a positive attitude, which is hard to do around here.”
Current Chief Keith Gordon agreed with Zollers that Aiman’s legacy is “hard to live up to.” Gordon led the crew in one final salute as alarms boomed through the building.
There was a display set up in the front of the house. Aiman’s uniform was propped up, his jacket and helmet, too. There were photos of loved ones, including a painting of the one-time firehouse dog, Sparky. There were several awards and newspaper clippings for friends, family and brothers to remember their chief.
“Fires will continue, sirens will be sung,” Lutz said in closing. “But only here, in the walls of this building, will we hear the voice of Mike Aiman.”
