by JONATHAN LEMIRE
The broken standpipe that doomed two firefighters in the former Deutsche Bank building became usable again yesterday, according to an FDNY source.
Firefighters believe the repaired standpipe can carry water again, even though it will not undergo full-fledged hydrostatic testing until later in the week.
"If we had to use it, we could," said the FDNY source. "It's ready." The standpipe was discovered cut in the toxic tower's basement, rendering it useless to the firefighters battling the deadly blaze 14 stories up. Firefighters Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino died in the Aug. 18 fire.
Meanwhile, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., which owns the tower, said it can't be sealed until new fire safety rules are agreed upon and the building is stabilized, a plan federal environmental regulators oppose.
"It is the EPA's position that the building be resealed while these other issues are addressed," Pat Evangelista, the Environmental Protection Agency's World Trade Center coordinator, said at a community meeting last night.
Several floors of the building are still contaminated with asbestos, World Trade Center dust and other toxins.
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