NEW YORK (AP) -- Gritty dust from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers still lines the crevices, corners and cracks of lower Manhattan firehouses, which federal environmental officials refuse to include in their cleanup program, firefighters say.
The Environmental Protection Agency has been scrubbing apartments of downtown residents who signed up for the free service but won't send crews to the four firehouses in the area, firefighters and union officials said Wednesday. The EPA says firehouses aren't covered because they aren't residences.
``We need someone that knows what they're doing, not the firefighters, to come in and clean these firehouses and give us the clean bill of health so that at least from this point forward we're starting out with a clean firehouse,'' said Rudy Sanfilippo, a firefighters' union leader.
The collapse of the twin towers blew dust into lower Manhattan buildings, in some places collecting in layers several inches deep. For nearly a year, firehouses were full of the grime from the dirt-caked trucks that carried dusty gear and rescue workers back from digging through trade center rubble.
The Duane Street firehouse a few blocks north of the site served as a 24-hour command center for thousands of rescue workers, volunteers and others working at the site.
``This house from the basement to the top floor was filthy,'' said Lt. Michael Vindigni, a firefighter.
Environmental and public officials have disagreed on whether wet rags and mops were adequate to remove the dust.
In May, the EPA announced a program to clean apartments of residents worried about health risks. Nearly 6,000 appointments have been scheduled; 2,000 apartments have been cleaned or tested.
Jane Kenny, an EPA regional administrator, said Wednesday that cleaning the firehouses should be the city's responsibility.
``EPA's downtown cleanup program covers people's homes,'' she said in a statement.
The fire department did not immediately return a call seeking comment, but officials have said that air tests in the firehouses more than a year ago showed the dust did not pose a health threat.
