RPF, NDRF & IRIDM sign MoU to strengthen railway disaster response and “Golden Hour” readiness

Admin

New Delhi: A tri-party Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Monday, 6 October, 2025 among the Railway Protection Force (#RPF), National Disaster Response Force (#NDRF) and the Indian Railway Institute of Disaster Management (#IRIDM), Bengaluru, at the Panchvati Conference Room, Railway Board, Rail Bhawan, New Delhi.

The MoU was executed by B. V. Rao, IG (Training), RPF; Narendra Singh Bundela, IG, NDRF; and Srinivas, Director, IRIDM, in the presence of R. Rajagopal,  Member (Traction & Rolling Stock), Railway Board; (MTRS); Aruna Nayar, DG/HR; Piyush Anand, DG/NDRF; Sonali Mishra, DG/RPF; and other senior officers of NDRF and RPF.

The partnership establishes a clear institutional framework for integrated relief operations and capacity building tailored to railway accident scenarios, with a focused emphasis on saving lives during the Golden Hour.

Director General, Railway Protection Force, Sonali Mishra stated that, there should be effective collaboration and coordination among all stake-holders and SOPs must be framed in this regard.

In his address, R. Rajagopal, Member (Traction & Rolling Stock), Railway Board asserted that apart from man-made distress, focus should also be on natural disasters like cyclones downpours and heat-waves. He appreciated the initiatives of #JRRPF Academy and IRIDM in capacity building related to rescue and relief operations with special focus on the golden hour. 

In his addres, Piyush Anand, DG/NDRF emphasized that all agencies involved in mitigation of disaster effect should make as a team. Other agencies of Railways should also be involved in capacity building efforts. 

This collaboration operationalizes a scalable, repeatable ecosystem to enhance national railway disaster readiness – delivering faster, safer and more coordinated relief to passengers and staff when every minute counts

Key Highlights

  • Prime Focus on Golden-Hour Rescue outcomes: Every drill and protocol is aimed at cutting critical minutes for faster access, triage and evacuation from coaches.
  • Railway-specific first response: RPF will build sharper, coach-and-track oriented capabilities – especially confined-space rescue – so the very first actions at site are the right ones.
  • Standard, shared coach-extrication SOPs: IRIDM will align entry sequencing, stabilization, cutting plans, patient packaging and hand-over.
  • Interoperability by design: Common radio etiquette, shared checklists and joint scene-coordination drills ensure agencies operate as one integrated unit during rescue & relief operations.

Three-stage training Schedule

  • Module A: Foundation training at JRRPFA,
  • Module B: Field sensitization at nominated NDRF Battalions, and
  • Module C: Joint advanced, simulation-based modules at IRIDM – creating repeatable, measurable competencies.

The MoU delineates clear roles – Jagjivan Ram RPF Academy’s nodal hub; NDRF hosting battalion-level sensitization and joining IRIDM’s joint courses; and IRIDM designing, updating and documenting advanced, scenario-based curricula.

The framework is scalable across Zonal Railways and is structured for review and continuous improvement over the coming years.