SAN DIEGO -- Within the next week, the city will issue a report that assesses each department's successes and failures during the wildfires.

Controversy over information omitted from previous reports prompted the city Fire Department to discuss what it is including in its most recent draft.

READ NOTES FROM 10NEWS INTERVIEW WITH ASST. FIRE CHIEF JARMAN

Just two days after the San Diego fires started, Mayor Dick Murphy sent a letter to six different departments asking officials to tell him what happened -- the good and the bad.

The city's Fire Department's report was 10 pages long. Although 10News did not actually see the report, Assistant Chief Tracy Jarman discussed the draft's highlights in a lengthy interview.

While fires still raged, city firefighters not only fought flames but took mental notes about what happened and how.

"We tried to get everybody so we could capture that in the heat of the moment. Sometimes, if you wait three weeks, people forget some of the issues or items. They might have captured (them) if (they) could do it during the process," Jarman said.

As for what went right, Jarman said a conference call with all of the zone chiefs got the ball rolling early. Engine mechanics were called back to work to fix any downed trucks or equipment. Early coordination with the Marines helped deploy dozens of strike teams around Miramar. And, eventually, some brush teams were able to pull back from out-of-town fires and return home.

The second half of the report discussed changes the San Diego Fire Department would like to make. Topping the list was the concern of 230 miles of brush-filled canyons throughout the city.

"I think, in the city of San Diego, we need to seriously look at reducing the fuel load and try to manage that defensible space for the citizens of San Diego," Jarman said.

The report also said most divisions were understaffed, including the command and crew staffs. Also, the city needs new equipment and a lot of it. Some engines are 20 years old. They also said a regional helicopter program is needed -- no question about it.

On a positive note, no civilians within the city died, and many firefighters got a lifetime of experience in just a few days.

"They'll remember the lessons they've learned and carry it on to future generations of firefighting," Jarman told 10News.

The Fire Department is also studying its response times and plans to have a more complete report on that within the next three weeks.

Meanwhile, the county Fire Chiefs' Association recommended to the Board of Supervisors that the creation of a "regional fire entity" would help address many of the challenges facing fire services.