Overview
- Bonsignore, a 31‑year FDNY EMS leader who retired in 2022, will become the department’s second woman and first openly gay commissioner when the new administration begins Jan. 1.
- Within an hour of Mamdani’s announcement, outgoing Mayor Eric Adams swore in First Deputy Mark Guerra to run the FDNY for the final days of his term.
- Bonsignore led EMS through the COVID‑19 surge and later oversaw training that certified more than 13,000 EMTs, credentials cited by the transition team.
- Her selection is widely seen as a signal on EMS pay and retention as unions press a discrimination case over pay gaps, with EMT starting pay reported at $36,330 versus $54,122 for firefighters and paramedic top pay at $76,028 versus more than $105,000 for firefighters.
- Some FDNY sources questioned her lack of firefighting experience; she said she knows the job and intends to translate frontline needs to City Hall.