It’s important to know that domestic fires are the primary cause of both property damage and home-related injuries. These fires can be incredibly unpredictable, starting in an instant and spiraling out of control. They continue to burn until their fuel source is depleted, destroying homes and property, as well as causing injuries and fatalities within mere seconds.
Every year, fire departments in the US respond to over 350,000 home structure fires nationwide, causing almost $7 billion in direct damage. Far more tragic than property destruction, is the more than 100,000 deaths and permanent injuries that fires cause annually. In a fire, breathing even small amounts of these toxic elements can be disorienting, and extremely harmful to the body. In the best-case scenario, dealing with the financial liabilities and emotional stress after a fire can be a harrowing experience.
Although most homes in the US have smoke alarms, these alarms are designed to sound only when a fire has already started. This leaves the occupants with very little time to react, either by attempting to extinguish the flames or by evacuating the house, before the situation becomes too dangerous. In any case, the consequences of a domestic fire can be severe and long-lasting.
Established in 2002 by Chairman and CEO, Rob Qualls, SAAM. Inc. exists to empower individuals and communities to live and work in safe environments through the development of advanced smoke alarms and air quality detection technology. With over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, and executive management in the technology and distribution industry, Rob grew concerned about the increase in domestic fires. “Smoke alarms should be smart enough to detect a fire before it begins,” he thought to himself, and the SAAM S-Series was born.
SAAM Inc., The Need of the Hour
In 2001, Rob founded Sentelligence, which later evolved into SAAM Inc. The company initially focused on developing smart diagnostic technology for diesel engines, engine vapor, and fluid diagnostics in real time. In 2016, Rob shifted their focus to consumer health and safety by aiming to become the world’s premier smoke, fire, gas, and air quality monitoring device company.
Rob was concerned about the outdated technology used in smoke alarms found in most US homes and decided to drive the air quality industry forward. “Our initial research demonstrated a real need for new and innovative technology for the air quality market; we discovered one of our patents fit perfectly in this space, providing us the impetus to pursue ambient air technology,” Rob shares.
Rob conducted some preliminary testing to demonstrate the feasibility of this new technology. He discovered that he could detect chemical changes in the air that indicated the presence of smoke and fire even before a catastrophic event occurred. In the summer of 2018, Rob assembled a team of experts to develop a strategy to bring this technology to consumers. “In November of 2019, we changed our name from Sentelligence to “SAAM,” an acronym for “Spectral Analytical Air Monitoring,” shares Qualls.
The current SAAM Inc. patents (6-issued, 4-pending), have over 200 claims, with more to come. In independent testing at the “Worcester Polytechnic Institute” fire test facility, the S-Series GEN-I outperformed leading competing devices alerting as much as 400% faster than the competition. Recently, Rob also completed a Series A2 round of funding and established a tier-one partnership with a history in the fire protection technology industry.
Based on the Latest Technology
Starting in June 2024, the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) will be implementing new certification criteria for smoke alarms that will make ionization alarms, currently installed in most US homes, obsolete. The current smoke alarm technology, which is 50-70 years old, is outdated and needs to be replaced with a new, more advanced technology that is more effective in detecting smoke and fire in homes.
Poised to become a major player in the smoke alarm and air quality industry, the SAAM S-Series will help save lives and improve health by continuously monitoring for trace elements of chemicals and particulates in the air using its novel and patented Non-dispersive Infrared (NDIR) based technology.
Spectroscopy, particularly Non-Dispersive Infrared (NDIR), has been commercially available for many decades, primarily in the medical field. However, the large size and high cost of spectral instruments made them impractical for consumer applications. The SAAM intellectual property addresses this issue by significantly reducing the size and cost of spectral detection, making it more accessible for consumer use. “SAAM has successfully reduced the spectral detectors to about the size of a quarter while reducing the cost to a few dollars,” states Qualls.
Using state-of-the-art spectral technology, the SAAM S-Series measures chemical changes in the air indicative of chemicals, smoke, and fire. This provides homeowners with more time to protect their lives and property. “30 years ago, you had an average of 17 minutes to escape in the event of an alarm, today the amount of time to escape is around 3 minutes, so seconds count,” Rob shares.
Since 2001, SAAM technology has won 8 awards, including the “CES Innovation Honoree” Award in the Smart Home category and the Digital Health category.
Effective yet Convenient
Capable of detecting up to 4x faster than traditional technologies, the Saam S-series can detect trace elements of toxic chemicals, smoke, and gas in the home, before a catastrophic event. The devices use proprietary machine learning algorithms to increase detection time, improve accuracy, and monitor indoor air quality information in real time through a smart app.
If a non-life-threatening alert occurs, the user can silence it using the app and mark it as a “nuisance alert.” The S-Series will then remember the chemical composition of this alert and avoid sounding it again.
The SAAM S-Series will initially be offered in two unique models. The SP4 – a portable tabletop device that is designed to enhance existing installed smoke alarms and can remain in your home, or taken along as you travel. “The SP4 will travel, so you take it with you on vacation, business trips, or send it away with your children to college adding that extra piece of mind,” Rob shares.
While SP4 is a portable device, SC4 is designed to be hard-wired to the ceiling as a replacement for your current smoke alarms. With these devices, you can keep a check on the concentration levels of various chemicals in your surroundings including mold, spores, etc.
"At SAAM, our goal has been and always will be saving lives by bringing to the home and businesses a product that will save lives"
An Exemplary Leader
Rob has over 35 years of experience in marketing, sales, and general management in the global OEM/aftermarket industry. Throughout his career, he has held executive positions with HighwayMaster, Pacific-Dunlop/GNB, and General Battery. Rob is deeply committed to the health and safety of people and hopes to leave a legacy as a strong leader who genuinely cares about saving lives.
Throughout his professional journey, Rob has encountered numerous uncertainties and has learned to navigate through them. One such instance was when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world. People were forced to stay at home, and remote work became the new normal. This made individuals more conscious of the air quality and fire safety of their homes. This piqued the interest of investors even more in the new SAAM S-series technology. Determined to save lives, Rob and his team quickly adapted to the new working conditions and continued their research and development of the SAAM S-Series, intending to make every home a safer place.
As a technology leader, Rob believes in embracing failures and learning from them to make better decisions in the future. “I also believe in the concept of surrounding yourself with individuals smarter than you, and not allowing ego to interfere with decisions, being able to admit when you are wrong, and have a degree of humility that humanizes you,” he states.
Rob is always striving to stay ahead of the curve and stay on top of the latest trends in his industry. He invests a considerable amount of time seeking knowledge from his peers and other industry experts. Rob finds it valuable to speak with younger members of his team, who he believes bring a fresh perspective to solve age-old problems.
In his free time, Rob enjoys watching sports, listening to music, and going for the occasional friendly bout of boxing. “I boxed as an amateur into my late 40’s, which allowed me to express frustration and anger without harming anyone,” he mentions. A family-oriented person he enjoys going out for dinner dates with his wife and spending time with friends.
Looking Ahead
“At SAAM, our goal has been and always will be saving lives by bringing to the home and businesses a product that will save lives,” states Rob. To make the SAAM S-Series readily available to consumers, he plans to distribute devices through brick-and-mortar stores, direct-to-consumer online, and any other available means of distribution.
SAAM has recently partnered with a global tier-one organization that was a pioneer in photoelectric smoke alarm technology during the early 70s and now has a significant presence in the commercial and residential markets. The good news for SAAM is that their partner possesses product development, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, and sales capabilities.
“In 2024 we will introduce our smoke alarm to the public for the first time, we will first introduce a portable alarm that can travel and enhance current technology, then within a few months after a hardwired permanent alarm to replace existing technology,” states Qualls.
