When a building is on fire , every second counts for the first responders rushing to the scene . A computer-savvy firefighter in North Carolina is hoping a bit of futuristic wearable technology and clever programming can help save time and lives . Patrick Jackson has developed an app for Google Glass , Google 's experimental head-mounted computer , which feeds important information directly to the eye-line of firefighters in an emergency . `` I 'll hear a little notification and can look up into the top corner of my vision and see a map of where it is . I see the location of the incident and what type of call it is , '' Jackson said . By routing information directly to Glass , the app can save firefighters from having to stop what they 're doing in order to reach for a radio , smartphone , tablet or computer . Jackson plans on adding even more useful data in future versions , like information on specific buildings including blueprints , potential building hazards and contact information for owners . A firefighter might be able to say an address out loud or simply look at a building with the Glass camera to retrieve information . Glass can also record the first video of a situation when crews arrive . That early documentation will be important to fire investigations down the line . For now , Glass is n't compatible with the oxygen masks firefighters wear on the ground , so the app is more for external personnel . Jackson 's Glass stays behind in the truck . People like Jackson who are finding genuinely helpful uses for the device might help Glass gain more widespread acceptance . Google Glass has struggled with its public image since Google first made it available to a limited group of developers in April . The device 's ability to snap photos and record video and audio has raised privacy concerns from regular people and even members of Congress . Its use in social situations and public venues has led to etiquette questions . The device hit a legal speed bump when a woman in California was cited for wearing Google Glass while driving . Her case was later dismissed when the court did n't find enough evidence that the device was turned on . There 's even an unfortunate epithet just for the people who wear Google Glass regularly : glassholes . That 's not what Jackson saw when a group of skydivers demonstrated Google Glass at the annual Google developers conference in 2012 . `` They had a video of some guy diving out of a blimp wearing Glass and riding a bike into the conference , '' Jackson said . `` Right then I started thinking about uses for the firefighter . '' A self-taught programmer , Jackson first started tinkering with computers when he was 7 and later spent a year studying computer science in college before transferring to the University of North Carolina , Asheville , for an environmental management and policy program . He became a firefighter and did n't do much with computers for another decade . Then , about four years ago , he purchased a smartphone and was inspired to start programming again . `` Since then I 've taught myself way more than I ever knew about programming . I 've developed an Android app , an iPhone app and a Glass app , '' Jackson said . His first project was the Android app Firefighter Log , which similarly routed key information directly to the smartphone , including text messages from fire and EMS dispatchers , streams of emergency radio feeds , and location information for fires and nearby hydrants . Jackson says more than 20,000 people have downloaded the apps . To get his hands on Google Glass , Jackson submitted his idea to Google 's IfIHadGlass competition . He raised money to cover the cost of the hardware through an Indiegogo campaign and received the device in September . Fire departments do n't all have the funding necessary to upgrade to the latest technology , but many are seeing the potential to save money and become more efficient at the same time . Jackson 's own Rocky Mount Fire Department recently installed iPads in its vehicles . The tablets cost significantly less than the laptops they 're replacing and can show the same information , such as call notes , fire hydrant locations , maps and dispatch information . `` You do n't need a big laptop with a hard drive and all this on it , '' Jackson said . Other fire departments across the United States have expressed interest in Jackson 's Google Glass setup . One wants to take it to the next level and link a thermal imaging camera to Glass customized to work with oxygen masks . Then firefighters could have partial vision through smoke and darkness . Other fire departments and researchers also are experimenting with wearable technology , thanks to a recent availability of affordable wearable sensors that can track vitals and environmental factors like air quality and temperature . The Wearable Advanced Sensor Platform , or WASP , can track a firefighter 's location as well as physical data such as heart rate , breathing and activity levels in real time . A Belgium finalist for Microsoft 's Imagine Cup created a system that combines location sensors and augmented reality glasses to help firefighters move around buildings when there is minimal visibility . When he 's not fighting fires or perfecting his app , Jackson is working on another possibly life-saving use for Google Glass : an app to help administer CPR . Using the built-in accelerometer in Glass , the app can measure how fast someone 's chest compressions are and instruct the person to go faster or slower .
A ##FP has developed a Google Glass app to help first responders save time . The app displays dispatch and location information on its head - mounted screen . Wearable glasses will soon help firefighters see when there 's low visibility .