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Nikolai Vasilievich Vashchuk | |
|---|---|
| File:Vashchuk.jpg Nikolai Vashchuk | |
| Native name | Микола Васильович Ващук |
| Birth name | Nikolai Vasilievich Vashchuk |
| Born | 5 June 1959 Zhytomyr, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 14 May 1986 |
| Buried | Mitinskoe Cemetery |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Service | Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR Paramilitary Fire Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR |
| Years of service | 1981 - 1986 |
| Rank |  Internal Service Sergeant |
| Unit | 6th Paramilitary Fire Department |
| Awards | Hero of Ukraine (2006), Order of the Red Banner (1986), Ukraine's Order for Courage (1996) |
Nikolai Vashchuk
[edit]Nikolai Vasilievich Vashchuk (Ukrainian: Микола Васильович Ващук; Russian: Николай Васильевич Ващук; 5 June 1959 - 14 May 1986) was a first responding firefighter to the Chernobyl Disaster. He received a fatal dose of radiation whilst extinguishing fires and subsequently died two weeks later in Moscow Hospital No.6 from acute radiation sickness.
Life
[edit]Vashchuk was born in a small village named Velyka Khaycha, within the Ovruch District inside the Zhytomyr Oblast. He completed his education at Ovrutskaya Secondary School, then moving on to secondary education at Kiev Technical School No.10, where he learned key skills, such as machining and mechanical engineering.
From 1976 to 1978, Vashchuk was employed at the Shuliavka "Bolshevik" Plant, where he manufactured tires, and other vehicle components. Then, on November 13th 1978, Vashchuk was sent to complete his mandatory two years military service as part of a militarized firefighting unit in Moscow; completing his term in November 1980. From January to August 1981, he worked as a driver as part of the interstate road construction organization in Zyhtomyr. Many of his colleagues at the construction organization started applying for work at fire departments across Ukraine - Vashchuk followed. He was hired as a firefighter in late 1981 as part of the Paramilitary Fire Service within the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), and was sent to work in Pripyat at the 6th Paramilitary Fire Department in early 1982. He was promoted to the rank of junior sergeant in March 1983, then to sergeant in February 1985.
He was due to be married the next month in May 1986. On the night of April 26th, he was covering an extra shift for his friend in order to get vacation time for his wedding.
Chernobyl Disaster
[edit]Nikolai Vashchuk was on duty at the time of the explosion. When the alarm came through at approximately 01:27 in the morning, he immediately donned his protective gear and boarded the truck. Vashchuk rode to the fire in an AC (130) 63A firefighting vehicle along with Nikolai Titenok and his superior and head of the guard; Lieutenant Viktor Kibenok. He later described to his sister in hospital that: "We were on our way to an ordinary fire, we didn't know what it was, nobody there knew it"
The vehicles from Paramilitary Fire Department 6 arrived on the southern side of the power plant at 01:35, just under 10 minutes after the alarm came through. They drew up in their vehicles along the southern wall of the turbine hall, where Lieutenant Pravik's men were already extinguishing the fire on the roof of the turbine hall. Kibenok got out, and asked one of the firefighters where Lieutenant Pravik was. The firefighter took Kibenok to his vehicle, and raised Pravik over his trucks' radio. Pravik told Kibenok to move his vehicles to the northern side of the reactor building (Row B).
By 01:40, Vashchuk was on the northern side of unit three, underneath the VSRO building. His vehicle was parked close-by , connected to hydrant T-19. Vashchuk stood by the Ural-375, waiting for instructions, likely looking at the fires beginning to start on the roof of the ventilation block. At 01:45 the mechanical ladder truck was deployed under the VSRO building. Head of the guard Viktor Kibenok climbed up the ladder, with two firefighters to extinguish fires on the roof of the VSRO building. [1][2]
Vashchuk was part of a then 4 man squad of firefighters, led by Lieutenant Pravik, tasked with climbing to the roof of the seventy-meter reactor building in order to protect the roof of reactor three and extinguish the fires starting on the roof of the ventilation block.[1] Lieutenant Pravik had given the order for the trucks to move closer to the reactor three building, in order to use the dry pipes which ran water the full height of the reactor block. However, the large force of the explosion had fractured the dry pipes, rendering them useless. Instead, hoses had to be connected manually and pulled up the entire height of the reactor building.[2] Vashchuk ran back down the staircase all the way to the ground, took two sleeves (hoses) and started climbing back up. He dropped the end of the hose from the top of the VSRO building, in order for Petro Pivovar to connect them to his truck, he then continued his climb to catch up with his comrades who were still on their way to the roof.[3]
They reached the roof of unit three at 02:01. And then climbed to the ventilation block at 02:05. At 02:05, Lieutenant Pravik reported over radio: "Explosion in the reactor compartment of unit four" [4][1] meaning he likely looked over the edge of the ventilation block, into the reactor hall of unit four itself. Vashchuk was operating a nozzle, attempting to extinguish the small flames started by superheated pieces of ejected fuel.[1] The hot pieces of fuel and debris caused the bitumen covering on the roof to melt, making it difficult to move as their boots stuck to the melted asphalt. It also produced a thick black smoke which they were all breathing in. Due to the stretched hose lines, their hoses were rather ineffective at extinguishing anything. They resorted to stomping on pieces of fuel and kicking graphite chunks.[5] Vladimir Tishura, also operating a nozzle, asked Pravik to radio for more pressure, as his hose was barely working. Pravik radioed down to the drivers: "Give me more pressure!" [1]at around 02:10.
At around this time, Lieutenant Kibenok had climbed to the roof of the ventilation block - most likely in response to Pravik's explosion report.[1] At around 02:14, Vladimir Tishura collapsed, he could barely stand and was vomiting violently. Vashchuk himself followed two minutes later.[2] In his weakened state, Vashchuk and Tishura were assisted down the staircase by their comrade Vasily Ignatenko - whom was the brigade's sports champion.[5] [6][2]
Major Leonid Telyatnikov ordered the six firemen to go to the second administration building, where ambulances were arriving. At around 02:35 in the morning, the six men, along with a handful of seriously injured/exposed plant workers were taken to Sanitary Unit No.126 in Pripyat. [5][2]
Hospitalization & Death
[edit]Vashchuk, along with every other exposed persons at the site, was taken to the Pripyat hospital in the early hours of April 26th. They were held at the hospital until noon on April 27th, when they were collected in buses and taken to Boryspil Airport on the outskirts of Kyiv. From there, they had chartered flights to Vnukovo Airport in Moscow. They were then transported in red icarus buses from the airport to the 6th Hospital Clinic in Moscow. [7][6]
After his latent period had come to an end, and the damage to his body began to manifest, Vashchuk, along with all of the other victims were moved to isolated sterile wards. By May 8th, Vashchuk was too weak to stand. He was tended to by his sister, mother and father. It was incredibly painful for him to speak and eat due to the damage to his mouth and throat. He communicated with his family by writing, as he couldn't talk. He was fed through catheters. [7]
On May 14th, his last words to his father were: "Dad, I'm so hungry". His father left the room, and when he came back. Nikolai Vashchuk was dead. [3][7]
Recognition & Awards
[edit]- On 25th September 1986, he was posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
- On May 8th 1996, he was posthoumously awarded Ukraine's Cross for Courage by the President of Ukraine.
- On 21 April 2006, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine with the award of the Order of the "Golden Star"
- A bust of Vashchuk was installed in Kyiv on the Alley of Heroes of Chornobyl at the intersection of Beresteyskyi Avenue and Chornobylska Street .
- In April 2016, to mark the 30th anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl NPP, a bas-relief of the hero was installed on the facade of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine building in the Kyiv region .
- In his home village of Velika Khaicha, there is a 3.4m pedestal, with a bronze bust of Vashchuk atop it.
- In the city of Vinnytsia there is a Mykola Vashchuk Street. There is also Mykola Vashchuk Street in the city of Ovruch.
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- ^ a b c d e f Shkliar, Vasil (1988). Вогонь Чорнобиль [Fire of Chernobyl] (in Ukrainian) (1st ed.). Ukrainan SSR: Unknown. p. 15.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ a b c d e Shcherbak, Iurii (16 March 1989). Chernobyl: A Documentary Story. Ukraine: Palgrave Macmillan (published 1989). p. 35. ISBN 978-0333496671.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ a b "Nikolai Vashchuk". Heroes of Ukraine. 2014.
- ^ Kyiv Central Fire Department dispatch logs (publicly available)
- ^ a b c Plokhy, Serhii (May 15 2018). Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe. Ukraine: Basic Books (published 2018). p. 44. ISBN 978-1541617094.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ a b Leatherbarrow, Andrew (2016). Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World's Worst Nuclear Disaster. United Kingdom: Andrew Leatherbarrow (published 16 April 2016). p. 102. ISBN 978-0993597503.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ a b c An interview with Vashchuk's sister. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7CJt8WQ8Ko