At the Cobb County Safety Village, a child can practice escaping a smoke-filled room, calling 911, and crossing a street safely, all before facing those situations in real life. The miniature buildings and familiar streets draw children in, but the purpose behind every activity is mission-driven — helping residents protect themselves and others.
Located on Al Bishop Drive in Marietta, the Safety Village opened its doors in 2009, but its story began decades earlier. In 1978, Cobb County established its Public Fire and Life Safety Education division, bringing firefighters and other health and safety professionals into schools to teach about fire and injury prevention. As the county grew, so did the need for a more comprehensive way to reach students. Inspired by the safety villages in Canada, Cobb created a place where residents could practice safety skills in environments that reflect everyday life here in the community.
Today, the eight-acre campus features miniature buildings, streets, crosswalks, and working traffic signals. These familiar surroundings become classrooms where students learn by doing. In Sparky’s House, children identify household hazards and practice escaping a fire. Throughout the Village, they learn about pedestrian, bicycle, electrical and water safety, along with how to call for help.
The experience also creates connections with the people who respond during emergencies. Learning alongside firefighters and other public safety professionals gives students the opportunity to ask questions and become comfortable seeking their help.
Director Allison Carter and the Safety Village’s education team guide this work with support from public safety agencies, schools, health organizations, and business partners. The Cobb County Safety Village Foundation helps turn community generosity into educational opportunities. The volunteer-based board develops partnerships, raises funds, and secures resources to support the Village’s continued growth. Donations, business sponsorships, grants, fundraising events, and public investment have helped strengthen the campus and its programs. Sponsors contribute more than just their names on the buildings; they help create learning environments that serve the community.
Recent additions show just what that support can accomplish. In 2025, the Atlanta Braves Foundation ballpark opened for students to enjoy. This addition offers a setting where children can reinforce lessons about healthy habits, staying active, and helmet safety while running the bases. This past spring, UL Research Institutes’ Office of Research Experiences & Education opened its interactive science safety classroom. This year, they will be piloting a program for middle and high school students, where they will use Xplorlabs to help students understand real-world safety phenomena such as fire dynamics and forensics, fire safety, thermal runaway, and lithium-ion battery extraction and recycling using science.
The impact also reaches well beyond the campus. According to Cobb County’s 2025 Annual Report, the Safety Village educated more than 28,000 students that school year. The education team also installed 1,860 smoke alarms and replaced 1,301 batteries in residents’ homes.
The Safety Village also hosts other events throughout the year, including Family Fun Safety Days, Camp Puzzle, Truck-a-Palooza, the Cobb Public Safety Golf Tournament, and CPR courses. Through an onsite partnership with Safe Kids Cobb County, parents can get car seats inspected and fitted to their child’s needs.
With 400,000 students served over its 18-year history, the Safety Village has given generations of children lessons they carry for a lifetime. Local businesses can become part of that story, but opportunities to sponsor buildings and storefronts are becoming limited as the Village nears capacity. A new plaza sponsorship offers another way to get involved. For $2,500, a business can sponsor a picnic table and an umbrella featuring its company logo, providing seating and shade for visitors.
Residents can also support the mission of the Safety Village by attending events, sharing program information, reinforcing safety lessons at home, or contacting the Village about other opportunities to get involved.
The Safety Village grows through the people who believe in its purpose: educators who make lessons memorable, public safety professionals who share their experience, and residents and businesses who invest in the work. Their commitment carries those lessons into homes and neighborhoods across Cobb. It takes a village to build a safer community, and this is a village worth supporting.
To learn more about the Safety Village, or sponsorships, contact Allison Carter at Allison.Carter@cobbcounty.gov, or call 770.852.3272.
