1. Viktor Nikolaevich Kibenok was a Chernobyl firefighter who was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union after he died of radiation sickness.
27 Facts About Viktor Kibenok
1. 2.
Viktor Kibenok was born into a family of firefighters, a so called "dynasty".
3.
Viktor Kibenok's Father; Nikolai Kuzmich Kibenok was a major in the fire service and had considerable influence in the Chornobyl Region.
4.
In winter 1980, Viktor Kibenok enrolled in the 'Voroshilov School for Junior Management Personnel'.
5.
Viktor Kibenok described his time here as "another step towards the summit" in a letter to one of his childhood friends Nikolai Radchenko.
6.
Viktor Kibenok was accepted, and began his two year course at the Fire School in summer 1982.
7.
Viktor Kibenok graduated from Cherkasy on June 30th 1984, being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.
8.
Now an officer, Viktor Kibenok had been assigned a posting from the Fire School; he was to be sent to Leningrad to work in a fire station there.
9.
Viktor Kibenok met his wife Tatyana in late autumn 1984.
10.
Viktor Kibenok was described as being strong-willed, kind by-nature, a caring man.
11.
Viktor Kibenok had a love for Motorsports and owned a motorcycle.
12.
Viktor Kibenok organized motorcycle races with his subordinate and friend; Vladimir Tishura, in front of the fire station in the summer.
13.
Viktor Kibenok raised Lieutenant Vladimir Pravik over the radio.
14.
Viktor Kibenok ordered the ural truck to be deployed on a hydrant nearby.
15.
Viktor Kibenok reached the roof of the ventilation block just after 02:10, and briefly conversed with Lieutenant Pravik, whom at this point was already clearly suffering from the onset symptoms of radiation exposure, Pravik told him to take over command of efforts on the roof, and that he was going to descend from the roof to call for ambulances and request for the men on the roof to be relieved, as Ignatenko and the others were beginning to feel unwell.
16.
The replacement squad met Viktor Kibenok's squad descending on the roof of the VSRO building at around 02:25, Viktor Kibenok having already made the decision to evacuate the roof due to his men being too exhausted to continue because of the high levels of radiation.
17.
Viktor Kibenok said: "We are alone, your time is precious" he explained how to best reach the roof, and where the hoses were laid, and we went up.
18.
Viktor Kibenok's squad reached the ground at about 02:30 AM, here, they were helped out of their uniforms by their colleagues.
19.
Viktor Kibenok had a brief conversation with an ambulance doctor; Valentin Belokon.
20.
Viktor Kibenok stayed in Sanitary Unit No 126 for one day before the true scale of the accident was realized.
21.
Viktor Kibenok was then transported by air to Moscow Hospital No 6, which specialised in treating victims of radiation accidents.
22.
Viktor Kibenok had received bitumen burns on the inside of his mouth and his lungs were damaged by inhaling burning bitumen.
23.
Viktor Kibenok received an estimated 1000 REM dose.
24.
Viktor Kibenok is buried alongside his comrades in Mitinskoe Cemetery in Moscow.
25.
Viktor Kibenok posthumously received the Hero of The Soviet Union award on September 25th 1986.
26.
Viktor Kibenok has a street named after him in his home city of Ivankiv.
27.
Viktor Kibenok has numerous monuments, all over the Kyiv region, including one at the Cherkasy Fire and Technical School, where he trained to become an officer.