Lillian retired in 2022 as the Chief of Emergency Medical Services for the New York City fire department (FDNY). Chief Bonsignore was appointed as a New York City EMT in 1991 and was initially assigned to EMS Station 14 at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx. Chief Bonsignore was an instructor in the 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 and spent many days taking part in rescue and recovery efforts. She moved up the ranks becoming a Lieutenant in 2005, serving in the South Bronx, later becoming 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 the EMS Academy, in 2013.
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, Chief Bonsignore was responsible for all FDNY EMS Officer training and commanded the FDNY EMS Probationary School.
Chief Bonsignore graduated from the FDNY Fire Officers Management Institute (FOMI) and completed several leadership programs including the Naval Post Graduate School-Executive Leadership program, FDNY Officer’s Management Institute, FDNY/USMA Counterterrorism Leadership- Combating Terrorism, TEEX –EMS Operations and Planning for Weapons of Mass Destruction and multiple National Incident Management systems courses.
Assigned to the four-star post as Chief of EMS in May 2019, Bonsignore led the city’s 4,640 EMS members during the COVID pandemic, unrest over the murder of George Floyd and the death of EMS Lt. Alison Russo, who was viciously stabbed while on duty outside her Queens EMS station.
During her tenure, Bonsignore spearheaded efforts to improve communications and technology for rank-and-file first responders. She also cleared the way for city ambulances to be equipped with motorized power stretchers that can self-lift and lower. She is also credited with making structural changes to the EMS hierarchy and increasing the number of chiefs to modernize the division’s organizational structure.
