CROTON-ON-HUDSON — The Croton Fire Department headed into summer with a to-do list that paired public appearances — Summerfest demonstrations, parade season, an October Fire Fair — with the quieter work of keeping an aging fleet of apparatus on the road, according to the approved minutes of the Croton Fire Council's May 26 meeting. This article is written solely from the Fire Council’s May 26 meeting minutes; croton.news had no reporter present. The document is headed ‘Approved Minutes’ and retains a footer identifying the secretary’s draft submission. The council approved two applications for membership: a Harmon Engine candidate who lives in Yorktown Heights, and a Chemical Engine candidate from the Montrose side of the village, each pending an arson background check. A member's transfer from Washington Engine to Chemical Engine, already approved by both companies, was ratified, and two members received their official badges. The council received a letter about a Croton EMS Youth Corp blood drive planned for its bay. The House Committee approved use of the downstairs fire department restrooms if needed; the minutes do not record a separate council vote approving the blood drive. Summerfest ran through the chiefs' reports. The department will hold a post-incident review of its recent structure fire, and it planned demonstrations at the Grand Street Firehouse during Summerfest, with Chief Caterino asked to head them, a lieutenant enlisted to help if available, and ideas for the demos to stay simple and noninvasive. The written report also promoted the Big Bucks raffle and noted that parade season was coming up. The minutes record: “Big Bucks, let's get out and sell those tickets.” A third report added that Big Bucks tickets were out and being sold, with four of the companies' contributions already in and Chemical Engine's still in the works. The raffle drawing was set for 6 p.m., “the end of SummerFest as we usually do.”, the minutes state. Caterino's own report centered on the fleet. Several rigs have been going out for repair: the tower ladder was out and is now back, Engine 119 is back, and Engine 120 had work done. Hendrickson, the department's repair vendor, has a new mechanic keeping unusual hours, Caterino reported, and the philosophy for the aging fleet is blunt: “The fleet is getting old so if something breaks, let's get it fixed.” Repairs the village can handle will be done in-house; the rest go to Hendrickson. Training has been going very well, Caterino said, though a council member asked whether a message about a new rear LED light being out had been received. The minutes sketch a department in transition across its firehouses. Washington Engine's parking lot is just about done, Grand Street has plumbing issues, and the EMS operation at the Harmon firehouse is slowly getting out of the building — “we discovered today that more rooms are empty so there will be changes being made down there.”, the minutes state. A member reported that Harmon's ice machine isn't working and may need a filter, and another said the hose on the red reel on the 120 side of the bay is dry-rotted and leaking. Equipment is moving as well: the Mini Attack 33 utility vehicle was to go out June 1 for about a week to have lights installed, the boat is in the water, and the portable batteries are done and sitting on the windowsill at Washington Engine. Captains and lieutenants who need them were asked to reach out to Fire Council member John Munson with quantities; Munson had advised the chief that at least one or two more are needed for the trunk radios. In other business, a member again raised the Ex-Chiefs plaque at the municipal building, and the council voted to move forward with it. Chemical Engine, out of storage space, asked about the procedure for putting a shed behind its firehouse for storage; the chiefs are going to work with the village on it. An IAR issue that members had raised at earlier meetings was believed to be handled, though emails were still kicking back. The fall calendar is taking shape. Two inspection dates were put forward — Sept. 12 or Sept. 19 — and there is a county convention parade this year. Everyone who took the updated physicals passed, and Fire Prevention proposed October 4, 2026 for the Fire Fair, with a theme still to come; the old EMS closet is to become the new Fire Prevention closet. The Big Bucks raffle has a new drum. The council reported $62,392.13 in its account. The session, opened by C. Colombo, was held in memory of a department member's father-in-law, and the village manager attended, relaying regrets from the mayor and the deputy. The minutes put forward September 12 or 19 as inspection dates and October 4 as the proposed Fire Fair date; they did not record a September parade date or a separate vote adopting the Fire Fair date.