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Should Firefighters Wear 'Google Glass'?

Rocky Mount firefighter Patrick Jackson
Screenshot from his Google Glass video

A Rocky Mount, NC firefighter is thinking about ways that the latest in new technology  can be applied to firefighting. He talked with CNN:

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's prototype came out of the "IfIHadGlass" Competition. He has been working with the device since September.

Jackson is using his device now, but because it's not compatible with oxygen masks, it must be used for support, "behind-the-truck" positions.

Carol Jackson has been with WUNC since 2006. As Digital News Editor, she writes stories for wunc.org, and helps reporters and hosts make digital versions of their radio stories. She is also responsible for sharing stories on social media. Previously, Carol spent eight years with WUNC's nationally syndicated show The Story with Dick Gordon, serving as Managing Editor and Interim Senior Producer.
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