On Tuesday, January 6th, Lillian Bonsignore, a 31-year veteran of the FDNY and former Chief of EMS Operations was sworn in as the 37th Fire Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department in a ceremony held at the FDNY Headquarters in Brooklyn.
On behalf of the FDNY Foundation Board of Directors, we congratulate Commissioner Bonsignore on being appointed Commissioner of the FDNY. This is an extraordinary accomplishment for Commissioner Bonsignore and her family. Commissioner Bonsignore has been a longtime friend and advocate of the FDNY Foundation. We look forward to working with Commissioner Bonsignore to help FDNY members and keep New Yorkers safe.
“We are excited to work with Commissioner Bonsignore to support the lifesaving work of the FDNY,” said Jean O’Shea, Executive Director of the FDNY Foundation.
“Standing here today, I’m struck by a profound sense of coming home. For 31 years, I had the privilege of wearing the FDNY uniform. I know the weight of the turnout gear, the adrenaline of the tones and the calls, and the sacred bond that forms in the firehouses and EMS stations,” Commissioner Bonsignore said after being sworn in. “To lead this Department is the greatest honor of my life, but I do not mistake this ceremony for an achievement, but a deeper commitment to those who do the work. I do not lead to stand above you. I lead to stand behind you—providing the tools, the trust and the tenacity you need to save lives, whether you’re at the nozzle, the stretcher or the computer terminal.”
Commissioner Bonsignore was appointed as a New York City EMT in 1991 and initially assigned to EMS Station 14 at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx. She moved up the ranks to become a lieutenant in 2005 and later became a paramedic in 2007. Commissioner Bonsignore was appointed as Chief of the EMS Academy at Fort Totten in 2016 and then named Chief of EMS Operations in 2019, becoming the first female to achieve a four-star rank in EMS in the history of the FDNY.
Commissioner Bonsignore led FDNY EMS through the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of unprecedented medical call volume across New York City.
To view more photos from the ceremony, please click HERE.