{"id":181150,"date":"2026-03-31T18:46:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/181150\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T18:46:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:46:07","slug":"cm-wong-calls-for-update-of-9-11-hero-signs-ahead-of-25th-anniversary-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/181150\/","title":{"rendered":"CM Wong calls for update of 9\/11 hero signs ahead of 25th anniversary \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"wong\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n

A street co-naming ceremony in honor of 9\/11 hero Hilda Vannata in Middle Village.<\/p>\n

File photo by Anthony Medina<\/p>\n

In a letter sent to the New York City Department of Transportation<\/a> (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn on Wednesday, March 18, Council Member Phil Wong<\/a> requested that outdated green street co-naming signs honoring FDNY, EMS and NYPD members \u2014 who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001 \u2014 be replaced with modern red and blue markers.<\/p>\n

Wong raised the issue with the agency, asking to identify and replace all such signs ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9\/11 \u2014 a solemn milestone marking 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we approach the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, this presents a meaningful opportunity to ensure that the recognition of these heroes reflects the same level of honor and distinction that is afforded today,\u201d Wong said in the letter. \u201cUpdating these signs would serve as a powerful and visible tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to the families and communities that continue to carry their legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo courtesy of the District Office of Council Member Phil Wong<\/p>\n

The formal request follows Wong\u2019s questioning of Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore<\/a> during a recent Fire and Emergency Management Committee preliminary budget hearing held on Friday, March 13, where the Commissioner voiced support for the effort, according to a press release.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, when a firefighter, EMT or police officer dies in the line of duty or from 9\/11-related illness, their street co-naming is marked with a red or blue sign that reflects their service,\u201d Wong said in a statement. \u201cBut many of the heroes we lost on Sept. 11 were honored before that became the standard, and their signs remain green. As we approach 25 years, we should correct that. Every one of those heroes deserves to be recognized the same way we honor them today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wong, who represents District 30, pointed to a conversation with one of his constituents, John Vannata, the husband of late EMT hero Hilda Vannata, as the inspiration for the initiative. The street co-naming ceremony<\/a> held on April 12, 2024 commemorated her selfless legacy in the face of tragedy. Vannata, who succumbed to a 9\/11-related illness, was bestowed a red marker in honor of her memory.<\/p>\n

After Vannata mentioned the lack of consistency with various street signs etched with names of FDNY, EMS and NYPD members, Wong sought to address it in advance of the quarter-century milestone.\n<\/p>\n

The Council Member\u2019s plan to identify such locations for replacement is in progress, calling it a \u201cfitting and long-overdue tribute\u201d to those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A street co-naming ceremony in honor of 9\/11 hero Hilda Vannata in Middle Village. File photo by Anthony…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181151,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[5301,128,73092,6157,73093,2608,9,24,63,1260,8430,122,10100,129,131,130],"class_list":{"0":"post-181150","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-the-bronx","8":"tag-9-11","9":"tag-bronx","10":"tag-cm-wong","11":"tag-dot","12":"tag-hero-signs","13":"tag-maspeth","14":"tag-new-york","15":"tag-new-york-city","16":"tag-nyc","17":"tag-nyc-politics","18":"tag-phil-wong","19":"tag-queens","20":"tag-ridgewood-newsletter","21":"tag-the-bronx","22":"tag-the-bronx-headlines","23":"tag-the-bronx-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181150\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}