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Viktor Nikolaevich Kibenok (, Виктор Николаевич Кибенок; 17 February 1963 11 May 1986) was a Soviet firefighter notable for his participation in the initial response to the Chernobyl Disaster. Leading efforts to extinguish fires ignited on the roof of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant following the initial explosion, Kibenok absorbed a high dose of radioactivity, and died in a Moscow hospital fifteen days later as a result of his radiological injuries. He has been posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin by the Soviet Union, and the Order for Courage by Ukraine.

Early Life
Victor Nikolaevich Kibenok was born on 17 February, 1963 in Ivanivka, an urban settlement in the southern Ukrainian SSR. His parents were Nikolai Kuzmich Kibenok and Irina Iosifovna Kibenok. He also had a sister, Tatiana Kibenok. The family would later live in Ivankov, Ukrainian SSR.

Kibenok's father was a major in the Paramilitary Fire Service. And, had been the recipient of the medal "For Courage in a Fire". Kibenok's grandfather had also been a firefighter. According to Kibenok's mother, Irina Iosifina Kibenok, Viktor Kibenok looked up to his father as a child and wished to be a firefighter as well: "Victor since childhood dreamed of following in the footsteps of his dad - my husband, who was a major in the fire service." It is reported that, on occasion in his childhood, Kibenok accompanied his father to the scene of fires as an observer.

Firefighting Career
In 1980, following the completion of his ten years of primary schooling, Kibenok joined the paramilitary fire service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR (MVD) as a private. He would serve with Paramilitary Fire Brigade No. 2 (СВПЧ-2) of the MVD of the Kiev Executive Committee for a year and a half, the fire brigade tasked with the protection of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

In October of 1981, Kibenok enrolled at the Voroshilov School for the preparation of junior management personnel of the Paramilitary Fire Service. He studied there until September of 1982, then transfered to the Cherkasy Fire-Technical School. Kibenok completed his fire-technical training in 1984, and graduated as a junior officer in the Paramilitary Fire Service.

Following his graduation, it seemed that Kibenok would be assigned by the MVD to a fire brigade far from his family in Ivankov. Wishing to keep her son close to home, his mother asked his father to use his contacts in the fire service to secure a more local posting for his son. Nikolai Kibenok succeeded in this, and Viktor was assigned to Paramilitary Fire Brigade No.6 (СВПЧ-6) in Pripyat, some fifty-two kilometers from home. He would remain with this unit for the next two years.

Chernobyl Disaster
By the time of the Chernobyl Disaster, Viktor Kibenok was in command of a duty watch in the fire brigade, and held the rank of lieutenant in the MVD. His shift was on duty when the initial explosion occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant at 01:23 on April 26, 1986, and was called to help extinguish the resultant fires.

The alarm summoning Kibenok and the men under his command came in around 01:30, shortly after the initial explosion. The firefighters departed for the station by road and arrived at 01:45. When they arrived they found that Paramilitary Fire Brigade No.2 (СВПЧ-2), the firefighting unit attached to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station, had already begun addressing the fires on the roof of the station's turbine hall. This had been the first priority for Lt. Vladimir Pravik (the commander of the duty watch of Fire Brigade No.2) due to the highly flammable and potentially explosive materials inside the hall and the fact that it connected the length of the station. This made the roof fire a hazard which could potentially spread the disaster to the rest of the station. With these fires being addressed, Kibenok and his unit were assigned to extinguish the numerous small fires which had been ignited on the roof of the reactor building. Kibenok and the firemen under his command were accompanied by Pravik, who as the commander of the Power Station fire brigade, could help direct their firefighting efforts.

Finding that the dry standpipes which ran through the building from the ground to the roof had been ruptured by the force of the explosion, Kibenok and Pravik established a hose-line leading from the ground to the roof. The Ural fire tanker from the Kibenok's brigade was used to pump water to the roof.

Hospitalization and death
Kibenok stayed in Pripyat for one day before the true scale of the accident was realized. He was then transported by air to Moscow Hospital No.6, which specialised in radiology and radiation burns. He had received bitumen burns on the inside of his mouth and his lungs were damaged by inhaling burning bitumen. Due to these internal burns, Kibenok couldn't eat and it was extremely painful for him to speak. He had also received severe thermal burns on his legs. By May 9th, Kibenok could no longer stand. He died a few days later on May 11th a few hours after his friend Vladimir Pravik. Throughout his hospitalization, he remained positive - even after multiple failed skin grafts. His funeral was held on May 13th.

Kibenok died at age 23, his wife was expecting their first child when he died. The child would later die in childbirth. He is buried alongside his comrades in Mitinskoe Cemetery in Moscow.

Legacy
Kibenok posthumously received the Hero of The Soviet Union award and the Ukrainian Order For Courage. He has a street named after him in his home city of Ivanivka. Kibenok also has numerous monuments, all over the Kiev region, including one at the Cherkassy Fire and Technical School, where he trained to become an officer.

Sources Cited


Category:1963 births Category:1986 deaths Category:People from Ivanivka Raion, Kherson Oblast Category:Heroes of the Soviet Union Category:Chernobyl liquidators Category:Ukrainian firefighters Category:Soviet firefighters Category:Chevaliers of the Order For Courage Category:Victims of radiological poisoning