The First Minute Project exists for one simple reason: when someone suffers a life-threatening bleeding injury, the person who can save their life may be the person standing right next to them.
Severe bleeding can become fatal in as little as 3–5 minutes, while th
Donae average first-responder arrival time is approximately 7 minutes, and can be significantly longer in rural and underserved communities.
In a school lockdown or active-assailant emergency, the gap can become even greater. Emergency medical personnel typically cannot enter an active threat area until it has been made sufficiently safe, meaning law enforcement may need to secure the building or affected areas before EMS can reach injured victims. Depending on the circumstances, this can create a prolonged delay between when an injury occurs and when professional medical care can reach the victim.
That is the gap The First Minute Project is designed to address.
Our mission is to give school communities both the knowledge and the equipment needed to control life-threatening bleeding during those critical first minutes.
Our program is built around two goals:
1. Train the school community.
We work to train every school staff member and as many students as possible on two fundamental lifesaving skills: how to properly apply a tourniquet and how to pack a wound with gauze. Our training is designed to be practical, accessible, and effective regardless of prior medical experience.
2. Equip every classroom.
We work to place high-quality bleeding-control equipment in every classroom and designated lockdown space throughout a school. We provide only the highest-quality, standardized tourniquets and bleeding-control supplies so that trained members of the school community have the tools they need when they are needed most.
During a lockdown, the people inside a classroom may be isolated from the outside world and unable to access immediate medical assistance. The person next to an injured victim may be the only person capable of stopping the bleeding until professional responders can safely reach them.
That is why we believe bleeding control training should not be limited to a handful of designated employees, and bleeding-control equipment should not be locked away in a distant location. The knowledge and equipment need to be where people are—and the people need to know how to use it.
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See our Denver 7 News Story here:
The First Minute Project’s mission is to train school communities to control life-threatening bleeding and equip every classroom with the lifesaving tools needed to save lives during the critical first minutes of an emergency.
The First Minute Project grew from years of school safety advocacy and emergency preparedness. Chris Harrington, a career firefighter with more than 20 years of experience, spent years working with schools and community leaders to strengthen emergency preparedness and school security. Following the September 2025 shooting at Evergreen High School, Chris and Jeremy Garst, a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran and EMT-trained community member, became even more committed to helping schools prepare before tragedy strikes.
Together, Chris and Jeremy began focusing on one critical need: giving schools the training and lifesaving equipment necessary to respond to severe bleeding when professional responders cannot immediately reach victims. Their work at Conifer High School demonstrated what was possible. Together they worked with CHS to train all 60 staff members and equipped every classroom with bleeding-control supplies. After this success, Chris and Jeremy wanted to bring this program to every school throughout Colorado and throughout the nation.
As their efforts grew, John Castillo joined the mission, bringing with him a deep commitment to school safety and emergency preparedness shaped by the loss of his son, Kendrick Ray Castillo, a hero who courageously acted to protect his classmates during the 2019 STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting. John had already dedicated himself to helping make schools safer, and after learning about The First Minute Project and its mission, he saw an opportunity to continue that work alongside Chris and Jeremy. John joined the organization’s Board of Directors, bringing his experience, advocacy, and personal commitment to helping schools become better prepared to save lives.
Today, Chris, Jeremy, and John bring together experience in firefighting, military service, emergency response, school safety advocacy, and community leadership. The First Minute Project exists to help schools prepare for the critical first minutes of an emergency by training school communities to control life-threatening bleeding and ensuring lifesaving equipment is available where it is needed most.
Read more about our story on our website's "about us" page here:
https://www.firstminuteproject.com/about
Organization name
The First Minute Project
2026
Tax id (EIN)
42-4292626
Category
Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief, Education, Public & Societal Benefit
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
6442 PRAIRIE LNCO, US