An operations manager overseeing a 14-storey office tower in Downtown Edmonton's T5J corridor inherited a one-page post order that had not been touched in four years. When a tenant reported an after-hours break-in attempt, the on-duty guard had no documented escalation steps and called the wrong emergency contact. The incident review traced the failure directly back to the outdated post order.
A post order is the written instruction set that tells a security guard exactly what to do at a specific post, on a specific site, during a specific shift. Canadian Shield Security builds post orders for Edmonton properties as part of every free consultation and site assessment, so guards start every shift working from an accurate document instead of memory.
This guide walks through what a strong post order includes, how to write one for your Edmonton security team step by step, and when to bring in an SSIA-licensed security company to build or audit yours.
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A security post order is a written document that tells a guard exactly what to do at a specific post: access control steps, patrol routes, emergency contacts, and reporting procedures. Every Edmonton post order should be site-specific, reviewed every six months, and written by someone who understands both the property and SSIA licensing requirements. |
What Is a Security Post Order and Why Does It Matter for Edmonton Businesses?
A security post order is the operational rulebook for one guard post. It answers the questions a guard needs answered before an incident happens, not while it is happening.
Without a written post order, guards rely on memory and verbal handoffs between shifts. On a property with turnover among casual or part-time guards, that gap creates inconsistent coverage. A tenant asking for building access at 11 p.m. gets a different answer depending on which guard happens to be on duty that night.
Edmonton properties carry specific risk factors that generic templates miss. A Downtown T5J office tower, a Mill Woods condo tower, and a Nisku Industrial Park truck yard each need different access rules, different emergency contacts, and different seasonal instructions built directly into the document.
Strong post orders also apply Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) thinking to the specific site. That means the document tells a guard where natural surveillance is weak, which entrances rely on lighting rather than staffing after dark, and which areas need extra patrol attention because the physical layout itself invites loitering or unauthorized access.
What Should Every Post Order Include?
Every post order needs seven core sections, regardless of property type. Skipping any of them leaves a gap that a guard will eventually fall into during a real incident, usually at the worst possible time.
These sections apply whether the post covers a downtown lobby, a healthcare facility entrance, or a construction site gate. The level of detail changes by property, but the structure should not.
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Section |
What It Covers |
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Site Overview |
Property address, building layout, access points, key holder contacts |
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Post Duties |
Specific tasks for this exact post, hour by hour where relevant |
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Access Control |
Who is authorized, ID verification steps, visitor sign-in process |
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Patrol Route |
Checkpoints, frequency, GPS or tour-wand verification method |
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Emergency Procedures |
Fire, medical, break-in, and severe weather response steps |
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Reporting Requirements |
Incident report format, shift log entries, escalation contacts |
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Use of Force Boundaries |
What the guard is authorized to do, and what requires police |
The reporting requirements section deserves extra attention. Under Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), any CCTV footage or written incident report a guard generates is personal information subject to storage limits, access controls, and disclosure restrictions. Your post order should tell the guard exactly where reports are filed, who can access them, and how long the property retains them, so nobody improvises an answer during a tenant complaint or a legal request.
Sites with active construction or renovation work need one more section: fire watch triggers. Under the Alberta Fire Code, a fire watch must be in place whenever automatic fire suppression systems are taken offline. If that applies to your property, the post order should spell out exactly when a fire watch starts, who authorizes it, and what the guard logs during it.
How to Write a Post Order for Your Edmonton Security Team: Step by Step
Start with a site assessment before writing a single line. Canadian Shield Security walks every Edmonton property through a free consultation and site assessment before drafting post orders, because a document written from a floor plan alone misses real access patterns and daily traffic.
1. Walk the site with the guard who will work it, noting every door, camera, blind spot, and lighting gap in person.
2. Document normal daily traffic patterns, delivery windows, tenant hours, and any recurring after-hours activity.
3. List every emergency contact by name, role, and direct phone number, never a general office line that may go unanswered.
4. Write post duties in plain, direct language a brand-new guard can follow correctly on their very first shift.
5. Add Edmonton-specific conditions such as winter patrol protocols for -40C weather, seasonal event traffic, or industrial hazard zones.
6. Have an SSIA-licensed supervisor review the completed draft against current Alberta Security Services and Investigators Act requirements.
7. Set a six-month review date before the post order goes live, and assign one person to own future updates.
Once the post order is finalized, walk the assigned guard through it in person before their first solo shift. A document alone does not train anyone; a supervisor confirming the guard understands each duty, and can locate every emergency contact without searching, is what actually reduces risk on day one.
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COMPLIANCE ALERT Under the Security Services and Investigators Act (Alberta), every security guard working in Edmonton must hold a valid SSIA licence. Never finalize a post order without confirming the assigned guard's licence is current. |
Common Post Order Mistakes That Put Edmonton Properties at Risk
Most weak post orders share the same three problems, and all three are avoidable with a proper site assessment.
Generic templates copied from another city top the list. A post order written for a Toronto office tower will not reference Edmonton winter protocols, SSIA licensing, or local emergency services, and the gap shows the first time a guard actually needs it.
Vague duties instead of specific steps cause the second most common failure. "Monitor the lobby" tells a guard nothing useful. "Check photo ID against the tenant list for anyone entering after 6 p.m." tells them exactly what to do and when to do it.
No review schedule is the third recurring gap. A post order written once and never updated drifts out of sync with the property, the tenant list, and current Alberta regulations within about a year.
When to Call a Professional Security Company in Edmonton to Build Your Post Orders
Writing post orders in-house works reasonably well for very small, low-risk single-tenant sites. Once a property involves multiple tenants, after-hours access, industrial hazards, or a history of incidents, the stakes are too high for a document built without security expertise behind it.
For active criminal incidents, always contact Edmonton Police Service first. SSIA-licensed security guards are trained to observe and report; they do not replace police authority or emergency services, and a well-written post order should say so explicitly for every guard who reads it.
A licensed security company also brings something a property manager usually cannot build alone: exposure to how similar Edmonton sites have failed. A consultation with Canadian Shield Security draws on patterns seen across dozens of local properties, from downtown office towers to Nisku Industrial Park yards, so the post order accounts for risks a first-time author would not think to include.
Canadian Shield Security's licensed team builds post orders as part of every site assessment, covering commercial towers, condo boards, construction sites, and industrial yards across the greater Edmonton region.
How to Maintain Strong Post Orders Ongoing in Edmonton
A post order is a living document, not a one-time deliverable that gets filed away after the first draft. Assign one supervisor to own updates, and require a review after any incident, tenant change, or seasonal shift such as the move into Edmonton's winter patrol conditions, when temperatures regularly reach -40C and patrol vehicles, cameras, and lock mechanisms all behave differently.
Log every update with a date and the reason for the change, so the document's history stays traceable during an audit or insurance review. When Alberta regulations shift, or when a new emergency contact replaces an old one, the post order should reflect that change within days, not months.
Use the post order as a training tool for every new guard assigned to the site, not just a reference document that sits in a binder. A guard who reads the post order during onboarding, then confirms understanding with a supervisor, starts their first shift already knowing the site instead of learning it during an actual incident.
Conclusion
A clear, current post order is one of the cheapest risk-reduction tools an Edmonton property manager or security supervisor has available. It turns a guard's judgment call into a documented, repeatable procedure that holds up during an incident review or insurance claim.
If your Edmonton property's post orders have not been reviewed in the last six months, that gap is worth closing now, before an incident finds it for you.
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Canadian Shield Security serves Edmonton 24/7. Free consultation -- no hidden fees. Call 1 (800) 326-7879. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Are security guards in Edmonton required to be licensed?
Yes. Under the Security Services and Investigators Act (Alberta), every security guard working in Edmonton must hold a valid provincial licence issued by Alberta Justice. Licensing requires an approved training course, a passing exam score, and a completed criminal record check. Canadian Shield Security confirms every guard's SSIA licence before writing site-specific post orders.
How much does it cost to have a security company write post orders for my Edmonton site?
Post order development is usually bundled into a free site assessment and consultation, so most Edmonton clients pay nothing upfront to have orders drafted. Ongoing guard service then runs roughly $18 to $28 per hour depending on site risk and coverage hours. Canadian Shield Security provides a custom quote after the assessment, with no hidden fees.
Does Canadian Shield Security write post orders for properties outside Edmonton, like Sherwood Park or Nisku?
Yes. Canadian Shield Security builds site-specific post orders for properties across the Edmonton region, including Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Leduc, Beaumont, Nisku, Acheson, Stony Plain and Spruce Grove. Each set of post orders reflects the property type, local risk factors and any industrial or seasonal conditions unique to that site.
How long should a security post order be?
Most single-site post orders run four to eight pages, long enough to cover access control, patrol routes, emergency contacts and reporting steps without becoming unreadable during a shift. Longer documents get skimmed or ignored. Split large or multi-building properties into separate post orders per post rather than one long combined document.
How often should post orders be reviewed and updated?
Review post orders at least every six months, and immediately after any incident, tenant change, renovation or seasonal shift such as Edmonton's winter conditions. Outdated post orders are a common cause of missed procedures during audits. Canadian Shield Security recommends assigning one supervisor to own version control for every site.
