Huntington Station street renamed for slain FDNY paramedic Alison Russo
The late FDNY paramedic Capt. Alison Russo would have been humbled to have the street sign in front of the Huntington Station facility where she volunteered for many years bear her name, friends and family said Wednesday.
The Huntington Station resident's unselfish nature and community spirit were remembered Wednesday at a street-renaming ceremony as Huntington Town officials dedicated a portion of Railroad Street, which leads to the Huntington Community First Aid Squad, as Capt. Alison Russo Way.
Russo, 61, died last year in what prosecutors called an unprovoked stabbing attack near her Queens EMS station in Astoria. She was two months shy of celebrating 30 years of volunteering with the squad at the time of her slaying. She had just left FDNY EMS Station 49 in Astoria to buy food, according to police.
From left, Alison Russo's father, Frank Fuoco, speaks at the street renaming ceremony Wednesday, along with her mother Catherine Fuoco, daughter Danielle Fuoco, and Alison’s brother Craig Fuoco. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Family, friends, former colleagues and fellow volunteers attended the ceremony where Russo was remembered as a dedicated squad member who volunteered weekly and mentored younger members.
Russo's daughter, Danielle Fuoco, remembered her mother as an accomplished woman who was humble and always sought to serve others. She said she was grateful to the community for honoring her mother.
"But for this to happen, a terrible event had to happen," Fuoco said. "It's not fair."
Russo was a 24-year veteran of the FDNY and a 9/11 first responder. She joined the FDNY's ranks in 1998 as an EMT and was promoted to lieutenant in 2016.
Russo started volunteering at Huntington Community First Aid as an EMT before earning her critical care and paramedic certifications, town officials said.
Russo served as a squad day captain for 13 years, helping to schedule other volunteers for four-hour shifts.
The squad also dedicated a new ambulance in Russo's memory Wednesday. Both the first aid squad and the FDNY promoted Russo to a captain's rank posthumously.
Squad EMT Tiffany White, 32, said she knew Russo for 19 years and admired her for inspiring her to become an EMT. She said Russo was a mother figure offering an ear and advice on life. She said that upon hearing about Russo's death, she wanted to quit.
"But I knew Alison would get mad at me if I did that," she said. "She always instilled in us, when times get rough you have to keep pushing even if you feel like you don't have the strength."
Prosecutors have charged that Peter Zisopoulos, of Astoria, stabbed Russo more than a dozen times in a Sept. 29 attack that was caught on surveillance video.
A spokeswoman with the Queens County District Attorney's Office said this week that Zisopoulos, 35, was found unfit to stand trial in December.
Zisopoulos was indicted on charges of second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The district attorney's office said the case is still pending.
Zisopoulos previously pleaded not guilty to a grand jury indictment during an Oct. 6 arraignment he attended through a video link from Bellevue Hospital.
That day, a judge ordered Zisopoulos held for a psychiatric examination.
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