By Laura French
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. — A former volunteer firefighter from Long Island has won a deal on the TV show “Shark Tank” for her fitness business and hose-inspired strength training tool.
Former Halesite Volunteer Fire Department Firefighter Sarah Apgar said she was inspired to invent her product, the Steel Hose, to help develop a structured strength training program for her department, according to WABC. Apgar, who also served as a platoon commander with the U.S. Army in Iraq, began training her colleagues using fire hoses around the station.
Apgar further developed the training tool by filling fire hose material with recycled steel shot, ultimately establishing her fitness company FitFighter and the Steel Hose brand. The Steel Hose ranges in weight from five to 50 pounds depending on the length of the hose, and has been used by a number of local gyms, trainers and fire departments, as well as the FDNY Fire Academy, over the last five years, according to Apgar.
When Apgar appeared on “Shark Tank” to pitch FitFighter and the Steel Hose, in an episode that aired last month, she received an offer of $250,000 for 25% stake in the company from guest panelist Daniel Lubetzky, the creator of KIND bars. Apgar accepted the offer, and said that since her appearance on the show, sales of the Steel Hose and FitFighter’s online training program have skyrocketed.
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