Mayor Mamdani Swears In Lillian Bonsignore as Fire Commissioner
January 6, 2026
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani swore in Lillian Bonsignore as Commissioner of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY).
Bonsignore brings more than three decades of service to her new role at the FDNY. In her 31-year career, she rose through the ranks and was appointed as the Chief of EMS in 2019, overseeing the FDNY's more than 4,000 EMTs, Paramedics, and EMS officers. In that role, she was responsible for overseeing operations, planning, strategic initiatives, and logistics. Bonsignore led FDNY EMS during one of the Department's most challenging periods, the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Department responded to a historically high volume of emergency calls. Since retiring from the FDNY in 2022, she worked as a public speaker and expert consultant in emergency medical services.
"I have appointed Lillian Bonsignore to this role for her wealth of experience and vision for how to lead the FDNY, as well as for the respect she holds for this work and all those who do it," said New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. "There will certainly be difficult moments to come—where the brave men and women of the FDNY put their lives on the line for New Yorkers—but they will be able to turn to their Commissioner and know that they are led by someone who knows this work, cares about this work, and will stop at nothing to keep our City safe."
"'A Commissioner's greatest duty isn't to command the fire, but to protect and empower the hands that fight it,' is a quote often used in the fire service, and it is one I wholeheartedly believe in," said Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore. "I am honored to return to the Fire Department as its Commissioner. I have spent my life loving the FDNY and it is an unparalleled honor to serve in this manner. I promise to be a leader for every member of this Department, committed to listening, supporting and advocating for the great men and women who selflessly give their time to protecting our City."
About Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore:
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. Commissioner Bonsignore was an instructor at the EMS Academy - CFR program during the terror attacks on September 11th and responded from Fort Totten in a convoy of EMS members to the World Trade Center where she took part in rescue and recovery efforts. She moved up the ranks to become a Lieutenant in 2005, serving in the South Bronx, and later became a Paramedic in 2007. After being promoted to Captain in 2010, she served as Station Commander of two EMS Stations in Brooklyn and was promoted to Deputy Chief in 2013, serving in Queens and the EMS Academy.
She was appointed Chief of EMS Academy at Fort Totten in 2016, where she was responsible for the continuing education and EMS recertification of nearly 13,000 members of the FDNY. In addition, Commissioner Bonsignore was responsible for all FDNY EMS Officer training and command of the FDNY EMS Probationary School.
In 2019, Commissioner Bonsignore was appointed by then Commissioner Daniel Nigro as the Chief of EMS. She was the first female to achieve a 4-star rank in EMS in the history of FDNY. Commissioner Bonsignore led FDNY EMS through the COVID-19 Pandemic, a time of unprecedented call volume.
Commissioner Bonsignore graduated from the FDNY Fire Officers Management Institute (FOMI) and has completed several leadership programs, including the Naval Post Graduate School-Executive leadership, FDNY/USMA Counterterrorism Leadership - Combating Terrorism, TEEX – EMS Operations and Planning for Weapons of Mass Destruction and multiple National Incident Management systems courses.
Commissioner Bonsignore retired from the FDNY in 2022.