1950s CAIRNS & BROTHER Model 350 FIREFIGHTER HELMET & LEATHER SHIELD

For sale is a 1950s era CAIRNS & BROTHER Model 350 FIREFIGHTER HELMET with a LEATHER SHIELD. The helmet includes a LEATHER BADGE that reads “TFD – 55”. The helmet is size SMALL, fitting 6 1/2 to 7 1/4 inches. The helmet includes its canvas & leather liner and the helmet’s maker’s Cairns & Brother tag. Because the helmet’s interior identification disc mentions Clifton, NJ, this helmet would have been manufactured after 1947. The Model 350 was a historic shift toward lightweight metal head protection before composite materials took over structural firefighting. This black aluminum helmet is overall great condition with some paint loss at the back of the brim. The helmet measures about 14 inches in length by about 11 3/4 inches in width at its widest point. An awesome vintage fire helmet.

Because this helmet was purchased in Tennessee, this helmet is believed to be from the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department. However, the helmet might also be from a Municipal Fire Department from Tulsa or Tucson.

In 1869, Jasper and Henry Cairns purchased the helmet business from Henry T. Gratacap, who many consider the father of the American fire helmet. Between 1840 and 1869, they were partnering with Gratacap to produce the brass finials for his helmets. Cairns and Brother became one of the major fire equipment supply houses and fire helmet makers in the United States. Aluminum helmets like the Senator (the model 350), Derby, Drop Brim, and Streamliner were produced from the late 1880s all the way up through the early to mid 1970s when other composite materials began taking over the market.