NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday named veteran FDNY leader Lillian Bonsignore as New York City’s next fire commissioner, tapping a longtime insider to take the helm of the nation’s largest fire department as the city prepares for a change in leadership at City Hall.

Bonsignore, a 31-year FDNY veteran who retired in 2022, will assume the role following Mamdani’s inauguration on Jan. 1. She will become just the second woman to lead the department in its 159-year history.

“I am honored, so honored, and humbled to stand before you as the new fire commissioner,” Bonsignore said at a news conference at Fort Totten Park, home to the FDNY’s EMS training academy. “This appointment represents a significant responsibility, one I accept with humility, dedication, and a deep sense of commitment to the city and its people.”

Born and raised in the Bronx, Bonsignore will oversee a sprawling operation that includes roughly 11,000 firefighters, 4,500 EMTs and paramedics, and more than 2,000 civilian employees. She was previously chief of EMS from 2016 through 2022.

Mamdani praised Bonsignore’s decades-long record of service, casting her appointment as both a symbolic and operational choice rooted in experience on the front lines.

“These are the heroes of our five boroughs who save lives on a moment’s notice, and they deserve a leader who cares about their work because she did it herself,” Mamdani said. “Someone who understands every detail and who will tirelessly empower FDNY and make it the best firefighting force in the world. In Lillian, that is exactly what we have.”

He pointed to her leadership during some of the city’s darkest moments, including the September 11 attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic, calling her record “self-evident.”

Bonsignore reflected on the strain and sacrifice endured by FDNY personnel during crises that tested the department and the city.

“Having served as chief of EMS operations through the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic, I have seen firsthand the immense courage, resilience, and sacrifice of our EMS personnel, firefighters, and support staff,” she said. “Leading during those difficult times reinforced my admiration and respect for every member of the fire department.”

Mamdani said he will retain Zach Iscoll as commissioner of the city’s Department of Emergency Management and Javier Lojan as sanitation commissioner on an interim basis. He said Bonsignore’s leadership will be central to further reducing response times and strengthening public trust in emergency services.

The announcement came the same day outgoing Mayor Eric Adams named First Deputy Commissioner Mark Guerra as interim fire commissioner. Guerra will serve until Bonsignore formally takes over in January. He replaces Commissioner Robert Tucker, who resigned following Mamdani’s election.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)