Meet-A-Medic: Jon DeLong, Medic- Communications
I’m Jonathan DeLong. I come from a background with Search and Rescue as well as generalized Emergency Response. I started working for Austin-Travis County EMS in April of 2018. I stay busy keeping up with friends and family on my off time. You can usually find me at a shooting range or out relaxing with friends.
Where are you from originally and what brought you to Austin?
I am from Austin! I guess you could say my parents brought me here.
What inspired you to become a medic/What attracted you to this career choice?
I always wanted to be in public service and always participated in Emergency Response organizations so being a medic just fell into place with me. Oddly enough it was not my first career choice. I originally wanted to be a firefighter through college and then move on to being a federal agent. When I didn’t get on with a fire department I decided to obtain my EMT-B certification in order to make myself more marketable. While going through my EMT class I just fell in love with being a medic and knew that was what I wanted to do as a career.
How long have you been with ATCEMS and what motivated you to work here?
I started with ATCEMS in April of 2018 but did not actually start working until May of 2018. I wanted to work for ATCEMS because of the great reputation they (we) have. I also looked at it as giving back to the community that helped raise me and where I spent my whole life. I knew Austin as well as any Austinite could and felt that knowledge would be very beneficial to my line of work versus working an area that I had little background info on.
What is your favorite part about working here at ATCEMS?
It sounds cliché, but my favorite parts about working with ATCEMS really do include the people I work with (both patients and fellow medics) and how much the department invests in their employees with educational opportunities, public outreach opportunities, promotions, etc.
If you had guests visiting Austin for the weekend, where is the first place you would take them?
If I had guests visiting Austin, I’d have to take them to all the typical Austin places (of course), but first and foremost would be Magnolia Café. They have food that suits any hour of the day and it’s definitely an “Austin thing”.
What is your favorite taco joint in town?
Juan in a Million
What do you do on your days to relax and unwind?
On my days off, you can usually find me at the shooting range, out with friends either around water or just around town, or sleeping to recover from my last shift. I usually work nights so I picked up playing video games a little but shhhhh don’t tell anyone.
Who inspires you?
I’d definitely say my grandfather inspires me greatly.
What is the next place you would like to visit? Why?
My next vacation will either be somewhere in Africa, because I am always looking for an interesting/different excursion or experience. I’ve also heard that backpacking across Jamaica is loads of fun .
Word of advice for an aspiring medic?
Slow down and take it one step at a time. Be excited, take your course and use the energy and excitement to land the job of your dreams. Find a good organization or department to work for, an entity that will invest in you, take time to train you, challenge you and that suits all of your needs. From there, work your way up to AEMT or Paramedic and promote. It’s super exciting to start your EMT class(es), even more exciting to graduate, hold onto that energy, and eventually become employed where you want to be. Working at the place you’ve wanted to be is absolutely thrilling.
Interested in a career with ATCEMS? Contact our Recruiting team at EMSRecruiting@austintexas.gov or give us a call at 512–974–1098. You can find dates for the hiring process elements here.
Follow us on all social media channels, and don’t forget to fill out a connect profile!
This publication features ATCEMS work culture and the lives of our medics. *Readings from other publications posted to Medium do not necessarily reflect the views or position of Austin-Travis County EMS, the City of Austin, or Travis County*
