BOSTON -- Boston's bravest firefighters have proved they won't hesitate to jump into a blaze, and now they are jumping into a political battle with the mayor.

NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu reported that the back and forth between City Hall and the firefighter's union is now spilling over onto the airwaves.

A radio ad claims Boston doesn't have a specified hazardous materials unit, which in this post-9/11 age has LNG tankers and biolabs as potential targets.

"It's not about Hazmat. It's about them wanting a pay raise. It's about drug and alcohol testing. They're trying to avoid the real issue here -- the real issue is drug and alcohol testing," Menino said.

"I say the mayor likes to divert all flaws in his administration on drug testing. I've told the mayor to his face, on television, radio and elsewhere, Boston firefighters are committed to doing random drug testing. We just want a fair policy for our members," said Ed Kelly of the Boston Firefighter Union.

In other words, they want something in return. Kelly admits they're reputation has suffered in recent years, blaming Menino for much of the damage -- not reports of drug and alcohol use by firefighters killed in the line of duty. So the current radio ad is part of a major campaign to revamp their image as well as interject themselves into the current mayoral race.

"This is just another example of our mayor playing politics over public safety," mayoral candidate Michael Flaherty said. "We need to have all our public safety officials well trained and well equipped to prepare whatever life will deliver next."

"We know we can do a lot better. And right now, the city's attention and focus is on who should be running the city of Boston," Kelly said.