Porta-Johns at a Dorchester firehouse yesterday became the latest beef in the longstanding feud between Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Boston jakes.

The showdown intensified this week as the mayor railed against so- called firefighter pension abuses while coming under fire for "browned-out" fire companies.

Boston firefighters' union head Edward Kelly yesterday blamed Menino's "vendetta against firefighters" for what he said were deteriorating conditions at many firehouses. He called attention to the Neponset Avenue firehouse where jakes yesterday had to head outside to use the loo after a broken sewage pipe forced the city to deliver two Porta-Johns to the building.

Plumbers discovered a large crack in the aging sewer main under Engine 20's building after raw sewage backed up in the bathrooms.

"The whole infrastructure of this department is in shambles," said Kelly, speaking from Engine 51 in Brighton - one of two fire companies "browned out" yesterday to cut down on overtime.

"At the firehouse here, there's exposed wiring, the paint's peeling, the stairs are falling down and they've jacked up the floor with heavy timber so the engine doesn't fall into the basement," he said. "In (Menino's) 16 years in office, he's never built a firehouse. How many new police stations has he built?"

Dot Joyce, the mayor's spokeswoman, said the firefighters' union, engaged in a nasty contract dispute with the city since 2006, complained about the portable toilets to "advance its political agenda."

"All of the city's buildings are well maintained. We have a very aggressive capital program that takes care of all these issues," she said. "We have a brand new police station that had a pipe burst."

A police spokeswoman said that at least two new police stations and a substation have been built while two others were renovated in recent years.

"I know there have been fire stations refurbished," said Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser, who was not at work and could not access capital improvement files. "We're currently working on refurbishing Engine 51. We're redoing the floor slabs in all the firehouses. Right before I became commissioner they redid Engine 30 and Ladder 25."

CAPTION: OUTHOUSE: At the firehouse in Dorchester, jakes had to use portable toilets yesterday after a sewage pipe burst. STAFF PHOTO BY MARK GARFINKEL

Originally published by By RICHARD WEIR.

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