Our People - John O'Sullivan 

John O’Sullivan MBE, technical director for Fire Consultancy at Bureau Veritas, has been recognised for his contribution to a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) panel, helping to shape global efforts to protect the ozone layer.  

John is a renowned voice in fire safety, working with many of the UK’s fire and rescue services and the wider fire industry to support with fire science and consultancy services. He sits on the UNEP’s Fire Suppression Technical Options Committee (FSTOC), which forms part of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP), with a group of 28 technical experts that meets frequently to discuss fire safety and its impact on the environment.  

Last year he was invited to participate in quadrennial assessment of the panel, as part of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion and global warming. 

John is delighted to have now received a letter from UNEP expressing appreciation for his valuable contribution to the assessment and subsequent report, which is available to view here.  

The letter reads: “As a consulting expert of the Fire Suppression Technical Options Committee (FSTOC), you have played an important role in furthering the work under the Montreal Protocol.  

“Over the past 36 years, the TEAP reports, along with those of the Protocol’s Scientific Assessment Panel (SAP) and the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP), have been providing the parties with independent and authoritative scientific information that has enabled them to take informed decisions to implement and strengthen the ozone treaties, resulting in ozone and climate benefits and significant global health. For your dedication to this vital cause, we remain truly grateful.” 

This is not the first time John has received a letter of appreciation from the United National Environment Programme for his expertise in helping to phase out ozone-depleting substances and help mitigate climate change. In 2008, whilst senior fire consultant at Bureau Veritas, he contributed to the scientific and technical reports that earned the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, shared with Al Gore.