Material Solutions & Standards
Not every product that claims to harden infrastructure actually does. FIR provides vendor-neutral, audit-based evaluation of hardening equipment against 15 defined standards — so communities and installations invest in solutions that work.
The Equipment Problem
The market for infrastructure hardening equipment is growing fast — and so is the noise. Vendors claim EMP protection, cyber resilience, and grid independence with little standardized verification. Communities making million-dollar hardening investments need confidence that the equipment they purchase meets an auditable standard, not just a marketing claim.
FIR’s Material Solutions program solves this with a vendor-neutral evaluation framework built on the same 15 hardening standards used in our community assessments.
15 Hardening Standards
Every piece of equipment FIR evaluates is measured against the same hardening standards applied to community infrastructure. These standards span three resilience vectors:
Cyber Resilience
Network segmentation, SCADA/ICS protection, firmware integrity, access control, intrusion detection, and air-gap capability. Aligned with NIST CSF and NERC CIP frameworks.
Physical Hardening
Ballistic protection, perimeter security, redundant routing, blast resistance, and physical access control. Informed by the Metcalf substation attack and subsequent FERC physical security standards.
EMP/GMD Protection
Faraday shielding, surge protection, GIC blocking devices, hardened communications, and E1/E2/E3 pulse survivability. Aligned with MIL-STD-188-125 and EMP Commission recommendations.
Supply Chain Integrity: FAE/FAP Screening
Hardware is only as trustworthy as its supply chain. FIR screens equipment for Foreign Adversary Exposure (FAE) — the degree to which manufacturing, firmware, or components pass through adversary-controlled supply chains — and Foreign Adversary Presence (FAP) — the confirmed or suspected embedding of adversary-controlled elements within the equipment itself.
Why This Matters
Chinese-manufactured JSHP large power transformers have been found with undocumented communication modules. Grid-tied inverters from adversary-nation manufacturers contain firmware that can be updated remotely. China’s National Intelligence Law (2017) compels all Chinese companies to cooperate with state intelligence services on demand. These are not theoretical risks — they are documented conditions in the American grid today.
How FIR Screens
FIR’s FAE/FAP evaluation traces the full manufacturing lineage of hardening equipment — components, firmware, assembly, and update pathways. Equipment that passes FIR evaluation has a verified chain of custody from raw materials to deployment. Equipment that does not is flagged with specific risk findings so the purchaser can make an informed decision.
How Vendors Participate
FIR’s equipment evaluation program is vendor-neutral and audit-based. There is no pay-to-play certification. Vendors submit equipment for evaluation against FIR’s 15 hardening standards and FAE/FAP screening. Evaluation results are factual and standards-based.
- Submit equipment specifications and documentation to FIR
- FIR evaluates against the applicable hardening standards and FAE/FAP criteria
- FIR issues a findings report — pass, conditional, or fail — with specific standards citations
- Equipment that meets all applicable standards receives FIR certification
- Certified equipment is listed in FIR’s Material Solutions registry for community and installation use
Submit Equipment for Evaluation
If you manufacture or distribute infrastructure hardening equipment and want a vendor-neutral, standards-based evaluation, contact FIR. We evaluate against the same standards we use to certify communities.