Crisis Intervention Specialist - Phoenix Fire Community Assistance Program

City of Phoenix; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 39,000 - 63,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Traditional pension with employer and/

401(a) and 457 plans with employer

Medical plans (HMO/PPO/HSA)

Post-Employment Health Plan

Wellness incentive

Dental, vision, life insurance

Long-term disability

Bus/light rail pass

Tuition reimbursement up to 6500

Paid time off and parental leave

Student loan forgiveness

Job summary

City of Phoenix is hiring a Crisis Intervention Specialist to join the 24/7 Crisis Response/Behavioral Unit. The role involves responding to 911 calls, conducting on-site assessments, de-escalation, emotional support, and resource referrals.

You will collaborate with police and fire personnel, medical staff, and community partners to stabilize clients. Ideal candidates have 2+ years of crisis intervention experience and a relevant bachelor's degree; a master's degree is preferred and may count

Qualifications

• Two years experience in crisis intervention, counseling, or working with crime victims.
• Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, counseling or related field.
• Master's degree in the same disciplines preferred and will count toward one year of required experience.
• Other combinations of experience and education may be substituted.

Responsibilities

• Respond to 911 crisis calls as part of a two-person Crisis Response Unit or Behavioral Unit.
• Conduct on-site assessments and interventions in emergencies including mental health, abuse, trauma.
• Use de-escalation techniques to diffuse tense situations and ensure safety.
• Provide emotional support, crisis counseling and resource referrals.
• Collaborate with law enforcement and emergency medical services to coordinate interventions.
• Act as liaison between clients and first responders, medical staff, and community partners.
• Transport clients to homes or social services agencies; perform short-term case management.
• Maintain reports and documentation; ensure regular attendance.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Communication skills

Bilingual Spanish (preferred)

Confidentiality

Education

Bachelor's degree in social work/psychology/c counseling or related field

Master's degree preferred

Job description

About This Position

The Community Assistance Program (CAP) functions 24 hours per day/7 days a week/365 days a year; shift, holiday, and weekend work are required. The fundamental reason this classification exists to co-respond to 9-1-1 calls with Fire and Police personnel as part of a two-person Crisis Response Unit (CRU), or to respond to behavioral health calls as part of a two-person Behavioral Unit (BHU) with a contracted Peer Recovery Support Specialist. Both units serve to de-escalate and stabilize crisis situations, and provide emotional support, victim advocacy, and resource connections. Incumbents may be assigned to a CRU or BHU team based on operational need and shift availability.

Typical Job Functions Include And Are Not Limited To

• Serves on a mobile Crisis Response or Behavioral Health Unit team to provide crisis intervention services by responding to emergency calls that come through the 911 system.
• Conducts on-site assessments and intervention in emergency situations including unexpected death, house fires, mental health, child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assaults, substance abuse and other social determinants of health.
• Employs de-escalation techniques to diffuse tense situations and ensure the safety of all parties.
• Provides emergency assistance, emotional support, crisis counseling and resource referral to individuals in distress.
• Collaborates with law enforcement, emergency medical services, and other crisis response teams to coordinate appropriate interventions.
• Acts as a liaison between individuals receiving services and first responders, medical staff, medical examiner's office, mortuaries, and community partners.
• Transports individuals to their home, social service agencies or other appropriate resources.
• Performs short-term case management functions.
• Creates and maintains required reports, records, and documents.
• Maintains regular and reliable attendance.
• Demonstrates superior seamless customer service, integrity, and commitment to innovation, efficiency, and fiscally responsible activity.
• Some Specialist positions will act as a "rover". Those in the rover role will not be assigned a permanent unit. A roving Specialist will provide coverage due call-offs and vacation coverage. This position may also be placed on a unit as an additional responder when not providing coverage or will assist in temporarily filling vacancies, as needed. Specialists in this role will be expected to respond to any of the CAP locations (10) throughout the Phoenix area, as assigned.
• The following are the roving shift assignments:
  • Sunday - Wednesday: 0500-1500 and 1500-0100.
  • Wednesday - Saturday: 0900-1900 and 1900-0500.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

Knowledge Of

• Social service agencies and community resources.
• Crisis intervention techniques, trauma-informed care principles, and best practices in mental health services.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Behavioral Health Systems and petition process.
• Victim's rights in Arizona.
• Police and Fire policies and procedures.

Ability To

• Collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Communicate in the English language by phone or in person in a one-to-one setting.
• Communicate bilingually in Spanish preferred.
• Maintain confidentiality of records and information.
• Comprehend and make inferences from written material.
• Produce documents written with clearly organized thoughts using proper sentence construction, punctuation, and grammar.
• Work cooperatively with other city employees and the public.
• Work safely without presenting a direct threat to self or others.
• Develop specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish work.

SALARY

Pay Range: $28.04 to $45.67 per hour.

Hiring Range: $28.04 to $37.58 per hour.

Pay Range Explanation

• Pay range is the entire compensation range for the position classification.
• Hiring range is an estimate of where you can receive an offer. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, training, and internal equity.

Benefits

• Traditional pension with employer and employee contributions, click here for more details: Pension Information.
• 401(a) and 457 plans with employer contributions.
• Choice of generous medical HMO, PPO, or HSA/HDHP plans.
• Medical enrollment includes a monthly $150 City contribution to a Post-Employment Health Plan.
• Wellness incentive of up to $720 annually.
• Dental, vision, and life insurance options.
• Employer paid long-term disability.
• Free Bus/light rail pass.
• Tuition reimbursement program up to $6,500 per year.
• Paid time off includes 13.5 paid holidays, 12 vacation days, and 15 sick days and personal leave days.
• Paid Parental Leave for eligible employees up to 480 hours (12 weeks) of paid leave for the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child during a 12-month period.
• Federal Student Loan Forgiveness offered through Savi.

Minimum Qualifications

• Two years experience in crisis intervention, counseling, or working with crime victims.
• Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, counseling or related field.
• A Master's degree in the same disciplines is preferred and will count toward one year of the required experience.
• Other combinations of experience and education that meet the minimum qualifications may be substituted
• Employees in this classification who are skilled in a second language may be called upon to utilize that skill in the routine performance of their duties
• All finalists for positions are subject to a criminal background check applicable to the department or position.
• Candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment must be fingerprinted and will have their fingerprints used to check the Criminal History Records of the State of Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Any records returned will be reviewed to determine the candidate's suitability for the job.
• Some positions require the use of personal or City vehicles on City business. Individuals must be physically capable of operating the vehicles safely, possess a valid driver's license and have an acceptable driving record. Use of a personal vehicle for City business will be prohibited if the employee is not authorized to drive a City vehicle or if the employee does not have personal insurance coverage.
• For information regarding pre-screening and driving positions, click here.
• The City job description can be found here.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in human social work, counseling, or a related field.
• Behavioral health on-scene experience.
• Case management experience.
• Crisis response and behavior health experience.

RECRUITMENT DATES

Recruitment closes November 12, 2026. All materials must be received by 11:59 p.m. on this date.

This is a position-based recruitment and will not result in any ongoing eligibility list. This recruitment and any selection processes resulting from this recruitment may be used to fill other related vacancies within the organization now or in the near future.

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REFERENCE

Crisis Intervention Specialist, JC:07170, ID# 63297, 10/28/2026, USM, CM, Benefits:007

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City of Phoenix is an equal opportunity employer. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni who meet the required qualifications are encouraged to apply.