Bianca Wittenberg, the CEO and product developer for El Dorado Hills startup company Fight Fire First, saw sales double of her home fire safety device FireFighter1 following an appearance on business reality show "Shark Tank."
FireFighter1 uses a home pool's existing pump to be able to hose down the roof and property in the case of fire.
"When the show went up, we sold out immediately," Wittenberg said.
The 2022 startup had sold about 150 units before the show aired early in December. It has now sold 350 of them, which range in price from $350 to more than $500.
On the show, "Shark Tank" judges Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner offered Wittenberg a $150,000 investment for 25% ownership of the company.
On the air, she accepted the offer. In reality, the money hasn't shown up yet, she said.
The sharks are still doing their due diligence on the company, and they want the devices to be UL-certified and made with all UL-certified parts, she said. Illinois-based UL Solutions a product safety and certification organization, formerly known as Underwriters Laboratories. The sharks also want the devices to be up to National Fire Protection Association standards.
Wittenberg has been working to get the certifications, and she said they have cost "tens of thousands of dollars" so far. But she sees the benefit of the effort, she said.
She is working now to develop vendor relationships with pool companies, suppliers, installers and cleaners in California, Oregon, Texas and Arizona to help grow sales beyond the website. Since the show, she says she's added about 40 vendors in the those states.
FireFighter1 uses the pool's existing pump, rather than being a pump itself. The device is cheaper than a separate pump. Once installed, it allows homeowners to spray 80 gallons of water per minute a distance of 40 feet. The average backyard pool is 25,000 gallons.
The FireFighter1 needs to be installed, and it includes some plumbing work to add a three-way valve to the pool's pump.
"A lot of people install them themselves," Wittenberg said. The type of person who is going to think ahead about spraying down their property to combat a fire tends to be a do-it-yourselfer, she said, adding that about half are installed by the buyers.
Part of the FireFighter1 system is a 50-foot or 100-foot firehose, and a rugged storage case for it and the valve.
Wittenberg is also the owner of Own It Real Estate in El Dorado Hills.
