Huntington Station street to be renamed for slain FDNY paramedic Alison Russo

The street leading to the Huntington Community First Aid Squad where slain paramedic Alison Russo came to work for nearly 30 years will soon bear her name.

Huntington Town Board members unanimously voted at their Jan. 4 meeting to rename a portion of Railroad Street, which runs in front of the first aid squad across from the LIRR station, as Capt. Alison Russo Way.

Russo, 61, of Huntington Station, was fatally stabbed in a random, unprovoked attack Sept. 29, when she left her FDNY EMS Station 49 in Astoria, Queens, to get lunch. Peter Zisopoulos, 34, of Queens, pleaded not guilty to murder charges in her death.

“Among the people who knew her, it was terribly shocking,” said Fiona Witkowski, president of the first aid squad. “She was so alive one minute and the next, she was gone.”

The official renaming ceremony is expected in the spring with family members and FDNY personnel, possibly during EMS Week, May 21-27.

Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth said the town wanted to honor Russo's service and dedication to the community.

“She was so impressive because she not only worked as an EMT in the city, but spent decades volunteering at the Huntington Community First Aid Squad,” Smyth said. “She was dedicated to the service of others. It’s a reminder to all of her colleagues and to remember in that way.”

Witkowski had spoken to Russo just an hour before she was killed. She said paramedics considered purchasing bulletproof vests, which they decided would be too cumbersome, but it forced EMS workers to reassess their surroundings.

“It made everybody think more carefully looking at the scene,” she said. “It made us all more aware of how anything can turn on a dime.”

Russo started volunteering at the Huntington first aid squad in November 1992, when she came a driver. In 1995, she became a crew leader and eventually was elevated to paramedic. 

She joined the FDNY in 1998, where she worked as a paramedic for 24 years, including responding to the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Russo continued to volunteer weekly in Huntington, where she served as a day captain, scheduling the first aid squad for four-hour shifts. Although she had contemplated retiring from the FDNY, Russo continued to mentor new members and hosted summer beach parties, including hermit crab races.

She enjoyed helping her community and connecting with her patients, Witkowski said. As a paramedic, she would respond to critical calls, such as a motorcycle crash requiring that the driver be airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital. As a paramedic, she also could administer lifesaving drugs.

“It’s good to have a paramedic around when you have someone critically injured that may die on your watch,” Witkowski said.

She said Russo "was a good paramedic" whose most memorable calls were those in which she made a connection with patients and “turned a horrible day into something a bit better.”

“It’s the personal satisfaction of helping someone in their time of need,” said Andrea Golinsky, a delegate with the first aid squad. “Even if someone is just frightened and needs to have some TLC, that’s what we do.”

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.