Firefighter Turnout Bags Appears on Shark Tank

Just last night, Niki Rasor pitched her company Firefighter Turnout Bags (FFTOB on FB)on Shark Tank asking for $250k investment for 33% of her company. In the end, Nikki would receive two offers for deals. She ends up choosing a 50% stake in her company for $250k.

Niki is the wife of firefighter Matt Rasor and creator of Firefighter Turnout Bags.

I met Niki at FDIC in Indianapolis a couple of years ago. I could tell she was passionate about her company and keeping turnout gear out of landfills. There are other companies out there making merchandise from turnout gear material, Niki makes very high-quality bags/merchandise out of used firefighter turnout gear. I wish her all the best of luck in the future! Congrats Niki!

https://youtu.be/ePEHcNWvziI?t=31m55s

Here are some other Firefighters who appeared on Shark Tank

HyConn Super-Fast connector for fire hydrants and garden hoses

Fire Captain Jeff Stroope from Cabot, Arkansas took his invention to Shark Tank. In the end, he made a deal with Mark Cuban for $1.2 million along with a 3 year employment deal. There were other options offered to Jeff.

According to SharkTankBlog.com, the deal with Mark Cuban ended up failing after the show aired. HyConns’s Facebook page has not been updated in several years.

So what happened between Mark Cuban, and HyConn founder Jeff Stroope? Stroope hints, Mark Cuban concluded licensing the design to another company is the best strategy to bring the quick-disconnect hose fitting to market. It would reduce the cost and increase the profit margin. Apparently, Jeff Stroope disliked Cuban’s new strategy, forcing entrepreneur and investor to part ways.

Quickstop Fire Sprinkler Tool

Matt Scarpuzzi pitched his business Quickstop Sprinkler Tool to Shark Tank in season 5 episode 24. Kevin O’Leary and Lori Greiner offered Matt $150,000 for 50% of his business. Matt declined.

FC note: I have 2 of these tools and have used them on multiple occasions while on the job to shut off sprinklers. While there is no way of not getting wet doing it, stopping the flow of water into residences and businesses after a sprinkler head goes off is paramount in stopping property loss due to water damage. 

FireAvert

Firefighter Peter Thorpe created FireAvert which will automatically shut off the stove in the event that smoke is detected.

Peter was given two offers by the Sharks and made a deal with Lori Griener in the end.