History
Globe Manufacturing Company had its beginnings in 1887 in Lynn, Massachusetts where the founder, J. D. Cleaver, set up shop as a harness maker. His brother-in-law, Courtland F. H. Freese, purchased the business moving it to Pittsfield, New Hampshire in 1901. All of the business operations and manufacturing continue today from this same small New Hampshire town and the business is currently owned and managed by the fourth generation of the Freese family.
Courtland F. H. Freese determined that there were new opportunities making heavy-duty work clothing in a society undergoing fundamental change with people moving off the farm and the invention of the horseless carriage. He obtained 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 “Firefighters Suit”.
Today, Globe is still the largest and most trusted manufacturer of structural fire suits in the world and manufacturers premium performance protective clothing for first responders under the Globe Firefighter Suits, Cairns Protective Clothing, and Globe LifeLine brands.
Globe Firsts
- The first manufacturer of firefighter suits in the world, inventing and patenting a suit with a rugged shell fabric, waterproof moisture barrier, and thermal liner that is still the basic construction concept for structural fire suits even today.
- The first manufacturer to use DuPont Nomex® inherently flame resistant materials in structural fire suits.
- The first manufacturer to use 3M Scotchlite® reflective materials in structural fire suits.
- The first manufacturer to use expanded PTFE moisture barriers including Gore-Tex® and Cross Tech® in structural fire suits.
- The first manufacturer to make exclusively to the NFPA 1971 standard having participated in the creation of this industry standard.
- The first manufacturer to be ISO 9001 registered.
Manufacturing Capabilities
Globe employs approximately 350 in Pittsfield, New Hampshire with a manufacturing and distribution facility of 72,000 square feet and in 2004 opened a second facility of 35,000 square feet in Ada, Oklahoma. Globe is still owned by members of the original Freese family with Rob Freese (Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing), GEF Freese (Senior Vice President of Manufacturing), and Don Welch (President) active in the day-to-day management of the business.
Globe Manufacturing Company is registered in accordance with the ISO 9001:2000 standard.
Products
Globe sells protective clothing under the Globe Firefighter Suits, Cairns Protective Clothing, and Globe LifeLine brands through a network of independent fire and equipment dealers worldwide.
Globe produces custom-made firefighter suits meeting the North American protective clothing standards NFPA 1971 – Standard on Protective Ensemble for Structural Fire Fighting, 2000 Edition and NFPA 1976 – Standard on Protective Ensemble for Proximity Fire Fighting, 2000 Edition. Globe also manufactures protective clothing for EMS and Rescue personnel meeting NFPA 1999 – Standard on Protective Clothing for Emergency Medical Operations, 1997 Edition, and NFPA 1951 – Standard on Protective Ensemble for Urban Search and Rescue Operations, 2002 Edition.