Education is the key to reducing risk and protecting the community at the Cobb County Safety Village. Through cutting-edge design and replicas of familiar community attractions, the comprehensive training facility makes learning about injury prevention interactive and fun. A prominent feature inside of the Safety Village is Sparky’s Apartment. The apartment is a primary site for fire safety simulations through its mock bedroom, kitchen, and living room for second and fourth grade students in the Cobb County School District and Marietta City Schools.

Cobb & Douglas Public Health (CDPH) helped sponsor Sparky’s Apartment with the requirement that it meet specific asthma-friendly standards upon opening in 2009. Asthma is the most common chronic disease impacting children. It is also a leading cause of missed school days. To meet requirements, Sparky’s Apartment was designed and constructed in a manner that reduces or eliminates common indoor asthma triggers. Visitors will notice the home has taken the Environmental Protection Agency’s smoke-free home pledge, carpet and drapes are limited to lessen dust, and guests can breathe easy without odorous room fresheners. 

To keep the asthma-friendly message alive and prominent, CDPH recently provided the Cobb County Safety Village Foundation, Inc. with a trophy to display in Sparky’s home. The award, constructed by Lillie Glass Blowers Inc., shall act as a conversation piece to keep guests talking about the home’s design and serve as a great milestone marker for its asthma-friendly achievement. 

“Asthma-friendly environments are not reserved for only schools and childcare centers. It is great to have a model of what an asthma-friendly home can look like in the community. As students and families replicate the safety tips they learned in Sparky’s Apartment at their own home, I hope they will incorporate the asthma-friendly features they observed as well,” said Jazmyn McCloud, chronic disease prevention manager at CDPH.