On Jan. 5, Kaleo Manuel is due to leave his job as deputy director of the Commission on Water Resource Management, months after the West Maui fire disaster.

His redeployment to another state post had been sought after a delay in a request to fill West Maui Land Co. reservoirs with water to help fight the Aug. 8 fires. But high winds and the lack of connections to fire hydrants meant that wouldn’t have helped in any case.

It seems the problems with emergency response — and contentious water use — are too complex to lay at the feet of any single person.