Stricken Man's Boss Recalls Delayed Response

Fairfax and Alexandria operate under an agreement that allows them to share responsibility for emergency calls. Medical and firefighting units that are closest to an emergency will respond, said Dan Schmidt, a spokesman for the county's fire department.

"The boundaries we have are geographical and political, but in the public safety arena, we don't have boundaries," he said yesterday. "If someone needs help and it's only two streets away but it's outside our jurisdiction, the closest unit will respond. That is our policy. It's how we operate."

Still, there was a breakdown Monday, he said, and officials are reviewing the dispatch system and other recent calls along the border, he said.

"Sometimes systems don't always go according to plan," he said. "There are technical challenges, human error challenges and other things that can get in the way. In this particular case, we just don't know what happened."

Officials in both jurisdictions also faulted Verizon Communications for not correctly routing the initial 911 call.

Harry Mitchell, a spokesman for Verizon, said the company is "fully investigating the whole issue and working with both jurisdictions."

"We recognize that jurisdictional lines are pretty challenging," he said.

No cause of death was available yesterday, and officials said it was not clear whether a rapid response would have saved the man. Smith said the man's family was aware of the circumstances of his death but did not want to comment immediately.