When a fire breaks out, people sometimes use fire hydrants to save the day. Now you can use your pool as a water source with Bianca Wittenberg’s FireFighter1 pool fire hose. Bianca got a deal with Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner on Shark Tank, two years later FireFighter1 is worth an estimated $600,000.
Bianca Wittenberg’s Background
Bianca Wittenberg is a resident of El Dorado Hills, California. Wittenberg has a bachelor’s degree in business management from NAU and an MBA from Sacramento State College.
Initially, she owned a landscaping business called All Play Lawns. Next, she worked as a broker associate at Lyon Real Estate and Morris Williams Realty. IBMC also hired her as an operations manager.
In 2016, she served as an air traffic control specialist for 11 months at the U.S. Department of Defense. When she returned home, Bianca started Own It Real Estate.
Founding FireFighter1
With the rise of wildfires in California, Bianca asked what would happen if people started using their pool water to put them out. The average pool contains around 25,000 gallons of water, enough to fight a fire.
Bianca created the FireFighter1 hose, it can connect directly to a pool with a PVC diverter and can spray over a gallon of water every second. The venture launched in 2015 and has been growing steadily but Bianca hasn’t been able to dedicate 100% of her time to the business.
Getting on Shark Tank
Although the company has been around for 9 years, it hasn’t reached its full potential. This is why Bianca Wittenberg applied to Shark Tank and got accepted out of thousands of applicants.
Several firefighter products have featured on Shark Tank such as Hyconn, which Cuban invested in but not many have gone on to become a big success. Mark and Lori agreed to invest $150,000 for a 25% equity stake.
After Shark Tank
Once the episode aired, FireFighter1 received a massive increase in inquiries from pool vendors. As of February 2023, they had sold 350 units in total. There’s no evidence to suggest the deal with Mark and Lori has closed.
Interested buyers can purchase 50-foot and 100-foot hoses on FightFireFirst.com and Amazon. The 100ft FireFighter1 hose retails for $459 and installation costs an extra $240. Additionally, they sell accessory products to help boost revenue.
There are similar products on the market but use separate engines and cost thousands. In an interview with villagelife.com, Bianca revealed she was super nervous before her pitch but an issue with the microphone gave her time to relax.
Unfortunately, the business hasn’t got many reviews from customers and only has one 5-star rating on Amazon. The product isn’t something you’ll use regularly, but investing in one could save your life. Currently, FireFighter1 is worth an estimated $600,000.
