The First Minute Project was founded on a simple belief: every student deserves a safe learning environment, and every school should have the tools, training, and resources necessary to protect lives.

Our story began years before the organization itself.

Five years ago, Chris Harrington, a firefighter with over 20 years experience with the Westminster Fire Department in Colorado, began identifying gaps in safety, security, and emergency preparedness from decades of active shooter training, which prompted talks with his children’s schools in the foothills of Jefferson County. Rather than simply recognizing the problems, Chris became actively involved in finding solutions. He attended School Accountability Committee meetings, advocated before district leadership, worked with community members, and partnered with school leaders to improve emergency preparedness and strengthen school security.

For years, Chris pushed for greater preparedness because he understood what was at stake. Then, in September 2025, a shooting at Evergreen High School brought that threat directly into his own community.

For Chris, the shooting was a painful confirmation that his years of advocacy had not been driven by paranoia or an exaggerated fear of what might happen. The threat was real. A critical incident could happen in his own community, at a school filled with children, educators, friends, and neighbors he knew.

The shooting also became a turning point for Jeremy Garst, a United States Marine Corps combat veteran, EMT-trained community member, and fellow parent in the Evergreen area. The tragedy in his hometown compelled Jeremy to become more involved in school safety and emergency preparedness, ultimately bringing him together with Chris.

Chris and Jeremy came from different backgrounds, but they quickly discovered they shared the same belief: schools should not wait for tragedy before preparing for it.

Chris brought decades of firefighting and emergency response experience, along with years of school safety advocacy. Jeremy brought experience in emergency preparedness and trauma response through his military service and EMT training. Together, they understood how important preparation, training, and immediate action can be when lives are at risk.

They began working together to turn that belief into action. One of their first priorities was improving access to bleeding-control training and lifesaving medical supplies. They helped bring bleeding-control training to school staff and raised funding to place emergency medical supplies in every classroom at Conifer High School, a school of approximately 900 students and more than 60 classrooms. After seeing what could be accomplished at one school, they became committed to expanding the effort.

Not long afterward, John Castillo joined The First Minute Project and now serves on the Board of Directors as the Director for School Safety Advocacy and Community Outreach.

John Castillo has been a dedicated advocate for stronger school safety and emergency preparedness since the tragic loss of his son, Kendrick Ray Castillo, during the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting on May 7, 2019. Kendrick was hailed as a hero after courageously confronting the shooter in an effort to protect his classmates. Today, John honors his son's extraordinary courage by continuing the mission to help save lives through school safety advocacy, community outreach, and emergency preparedness education.

What began with one parent's determination to make his children's school safer—and was strengthened by tragedy within our members' families and communities—grew into a partnership of people committed to helping schools prepare, respond, and ultimately save lives.

Today, Chris, Jeremy, and John serve as the Board of Directors of The First Minute Project, bringing together decades of experience in firefighting, military service, emergency medicine, injury prevention, school safety advocacy, and community leadership to help schools become better prepared for life's most critical moments.

The First Minute Project exists to ensure every school is prepared to save lives by providing bleeding-control training, equipping every classroom with lifesaving medical supplies, and empowering educators and students to respond confidently during the critical first minutes of a medical emergency.