In what could be the first major showdown of the 2008 legislative season, Sens. Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston) and David Thomas (R-Greenville) are at odds over a pair of bills that attempt to deal with fire safety after the blaze that killed nine Charleston firefighters in 2007.  Thomas’ legislation would require all commercial buildings in South Carolina — regardless of age — to have emergency fire sprinklers, while McConnell’s bill provides income tax credits and insurance premium incentives but opposes mandates.

Thomas first proposed his bill (S. 921) after the June 18 blaze at the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, the nation’s worst firefighter tragedy since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City. The furniture store didn’t have fire sprinklers, nor was it required to under existing state law.

Thomas’ bill is at odds with another pre-filed bill (S. 860) sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell of Charleston. McConnell, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a member of Thomas’ committee. [...]

Top officials with the state’s municipal and hospitality associations recently told McClatchy Newspapers their groups support tax credits, though they oppose requiring sprinklers in all commercial buildings.

Thomas seemed willing to consider solutions during Wednesday’s hearing. He suggested, for example, that university and college presidents statewide could be questioned about whether their student dorms have fire sprinklers.

“There are all kinds of options open that won’t necessarily take us into mandates for retrofitting for everything in South Carolina,” he said. [RICK BRUNDRETT - McClatchy Newspapers]

While I agree that both men are doing the right thing in making sure that the lives lost in horrible fires of the past arn’t in vein, I think McConnell simply has a better plan.

The cost of installing sprinklers is outrageous, especially for a small business.  Add in having to meet government regulations — which are sure to be filled with monotonous, wasteful red tape — and something like this could jeopardize a lot of establishments.

Plus, whenever there’s an opportunity to achieve the same goal by offering incentives rather than regulations, we need to choose the former.