The Kansas City 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb brought hundreds of firefighters together this year to honor the 343 New York firefighters who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Among those making the climb for the first time was a 19-year old volunteer of the Richmond Fire De partment. Chanz Vanderpool, a Richmond High School graduate who has lived in the city his entire life, noted he learned about the memorial event from one of his captains. The story stuck with him. “I first heard about the memorial stair climb through one of my captains,” said Vanderpool. “He has participated in it before and his talk about it made me in terested.” The stair climb challenges participants to ascend 110 stories, the same number firefighters climbed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Each climber carries a tag representing one of the fallen. For Vanderpool, the experience was more than just physical exertion. “Representing my department felt great,” stated Vanderpool. “Being able to take part in such…