Post orders are the written instructions that tell a security guard exactly what to do on your site. Clear post orders reduce confusion, improve guard performance, and protect both the property and the security provider when incidents occur. If your guards are operating without documented post orders, or with vague ones, you are creating risk for your property and your business. This article walks through a practical security guard post orders template Ontario facility and operations managers can adapt—without treating post orders as a generic checklist.
What are post orders?
Post orders are site-specific written instructions issued to security guards detailing their responsibilities, patrol routes, access control procedures, emergency protocols, and reporting requirements. They function as the guard's operating manual for your property. Every reputable PSISA-licensed security company in Ontario should either provide post orders or work with you to develop them before guards start on site.
Why post orders matter
Post orders serve three critical functions:
- Accountability: They create a documented standard against which guard performance can be measured. If a guard fails to check a loading dock at the required interval, the post order is the reference point for correction.
- Consistency: Guards rotate, shifts change, and new personnel arrive. Post orders ensure that every guard, regardless of experience level, follows the same procedures on your property.
- Liability protection: After an incident, documented post orders show that reasonable security measures were defined and communicated. That matters for insurance claims, legal disputes, and regulatory inquiries.
What to include in your post orders
A complete set of post orders should cover the following areas in plain language:
- Site information: Property name, address, client contact name and number, security company supervisor contact, and emergency services numbers (police non-emergency, fire, ambulance).
- Shift details: Start and end times, break schedule, handover procedures between shifts, and sign-in and sign-out requirements.
- Access control: Who is authorised to enter, what identification or credentials are required, visitor sign-in procedures, contractor and vendor access rules, and after-hours entry protocols.
- Patrol requirements: Specific patrol routes (describe the path, not just "patrol the building"), frequency (e.g. every 60 minutes), checkpoints to document (doors, gates, parking levels, loading docks), and what to look for (unlocked doors, lighting issues, water leaks, unauthorised persons).
- Incident response: Steps for trespassers, disturbances, medical emergencies, fire alarms, power outages, and property damage. When to call 911 versus the client or supervisor. De-escalation expectations and limits on use of force consistent with training and law—including physical contact only where lawful self-defence applies.
- Reporting: What must be documented (every patrol, visitor, or incident), report format (written log, timestamp photos, digital submission), and who receives reports and when.
- Prohibited actions: What guards are not authorised to do—for example, use force beyond self-defence, allow unauthorised entry as a favour, leave the post without relief, or consume alcohol or cannabis on duty.
- Special instructions: Anything unique to your site. A construction site may require PPE checks at the gate. A condominium may require parcel logging through concierge security procedures. A warehouse or distribution centre may require trailer seal verification at the dock.
Common post order mistakes
The most frequent problems undermine otherwise good security programs:
- Too vague: "Patrol the property" is not a post order. "Conduct a perimeter patrol of the east and west lots, check all fire exits, and verify the loading dock roll-up doors are secured, every 90 minutes starting at 22:00" is a post order.
- Never updated: Sites change—tenants move, construction phases shift, and access points move. Post orders written a year ago and never revised rarely match current conditions.
- Not shared with the guard: Post orders that live only in a manager's filing cabinet are useless. Every guard should have access to the current version and acknowledge that they have read it.
- No escalation clarity: Guards need explicit guidance on when to call the supervisor, when to call the client, and when to call 911. Ambiguity delays response when minutes matter.
Working with your security provider
The strongest post orders are developed collaboratively between the property or operations lead and the security company. Your provider should conduct a site assessment, map access points, patrol routes, and risk areas, then draft orders you review and approve. At DW Security Services, we develop custom post orders for every site based on walk-through assessment and client consultation. Orders are reviewed with each guard during orientation and updated whenever site conditions change.
If your current provider is operating without clear post orders, or you need help developing them for a new site, contact DW Security Services. We deliver documented, site-specific post orders as a standard part of guard deployments across Ontario.