Cairns had its beginnings with the invention of the first American fire helmet by a volunteer firefighter in New York City in 1836. Named the “New Yorker”, this style of helmet, though undergoing many changes, is still being produced today. Shortly thereafter, two brothers named Cairns came up with a way to mount an identification badge to these helmets and renamed the business Cairns & Brother when they later took over the helmet business.

Over the years, Cairns introduced many other items for their firefighter customers including by the 1990's an innovative line of firesuits, thermal imaging cameras, and SCBA equipment in addition to their growing line of helmets. Although they were widely admired at the time for their innovations in design, the owners of Cairns soon discovered that manufacturing, distributing, and supporting such a broad range of products was not the most practical course for them. Cairns Protective Clothing is now part of the Globe family of brands, having been acquired by Globe Manufacturing Company in 1994.

"We originally acquired the Cairns brand because it was on the forefront of innovation and maybe even a little ahead of its time” according to Rob Freese, VP Sales and Marketing. “Now with REAXTION™, we are proud to continue Cairns' history of innovation with a design that you have to try on to fully appreciate. Once you do, believe me, you won't settle for less.”

Globe was founded in 1887, obtaining a patent for a waterproof coat construction method that is still in use in the fire service today and started selling the world's first “Firefighter Suits”. Today, Globe is owned and managed by the fourth generation of the founding family. With facilities in Pittsfield, New Hampshire and Ada, Oklahoma, Globe is the largest and most trusted manufacturer of structural firesuits in the world.

Though we make thousands of suits in our factories every week, our “Lean Manufacturing” process allows us to customize one just for you. Our network of Cairns Protective Clothing Dealers and our Regional Sales Managers look forward to helping you specify Cairns gear that meets your special requirements.