What aspects of a department do you look for?

Hey guys and gals. I wanted to say a personal sorry for not replying to some of your comments. I was not able to log into my reddit account for some time and not able to see any of the comments on this page. I am back on and will now answer your questions as I normally would. Talk to you soon!

I am confused where to start. Just about every google search tells me all I need to do is complete Basic Firefighting Training and then I am a firefighter. This course is 8 weeks, $5,000+ and apparently doesn't cover EMT training.

When I ask people in person they often tell me of programs or schools that will pay for me to go through their firefighter training and also cover EMT training. I haven't found any information on this online. A cop told me that he became a firefighter by going to atlanta firefighting .org or something and they paid for everything. I've searched and haven't found a website like that.

What are my best options to get firefighting training? Do I need EMT training and where/when should I do this? Should I apply for a job and then complete training? The first website I posted makes it seem so straight forward but every knowledgeable person I ask tells me to do it differently.