10 Questions with George DeOcampo, BART Facilities Maintenance Supervisor

George DeOcampo is a man on the move. In his capacity as Facilities Maintenance Supervisor, DeOcampo oversees the contractors who manage glass replacement and pest control – including BART’s famous bees. Some days, he says, he feels like he’s starring in Dr. Seuss’s “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” That’s because DeOcampo goes where the pests go – and determines how to safely remove them to keep riders and workers safe.

DeOcampo’s answers have been edited for space and clarity. Read our previous 10 Questions interviews here and here.

1. How long have you worked for BART?

I just celebrated my seven-year work-iversary on Sept. 9.

2. What’s your role at BART?

My current role with BART is Facilities Maintenance Supervisor. This position entails working with, managing, and directing pest control and glass replacement contractors to address, mitigate, and identify related problems that arise throughout BART. The position also requires coordinating and working with various internal departments and colleagues to achieve the desired results/outcomes for a given situation or problem.

3. If you can remember, what is your earliest memory of riding the trains?

I really don’t have an early youth-related experience riding BART. My earliest memory was as an adult attending a Raiders game. I was probably in my mid-to-late 20s. I drove to El Cerrito del Norte to catch the train as it was the closest station to where I lived. I remember feeling like I was a tourist even though I was raised in the Bay Area and had no problems getting around in my car. I remember asking the Station Agent so many questions: Do I pay for parking? What train do I get on? Where do I get off? What if I get lost? How much does it cost? Do I need another ticket to get back? The Station Agent probably thought I was from out of town and going to see the visiting team, but he was patient. He basically [told me] to just follow the group of people dressed in all black.

4. What’s something that might surprise us about your job?

I think the thing that might surprise a lot of my colleagues is I, on any given day, could be at any station in the system investigating a myriad of pest or glass-related problems, such as bees in an expansion joint of a station, a dead mouse stinking up a breakroom, or sewer flies crawling out of sink drains in an employee restroom. There are days when my shift reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

5. Name your favorite BART station or route and why.

I am partial to El Cerrito del Norte. I think the view of the bay from Platform 2 is the best, plus it has the “Goldilocks” weather: not too hot, not too cold, just right.

6. What do you typically do to pass the time on the train?

Generally, I people watch. I try to figure out “what’s that person’s story.” For instance, the family that is all packed up with their luggage and heading to the airport, where might they be going? Vacation, funeral, running from the law? Or the guy who is trying to have a conversation on his Bluetooth while the train is heading down the tracks, yelling into his device so the person on the other end, and everyone else in the car, can hear him over the train noise. How much of his conversation is actually being heard by the person on the other end and vice versa? I always felt that BART passenger stories would make for a good television show because we all have a story.

7. What’s on your desk besides your computer?

The usual office supplies: stapler, tape, whiteout, coffee mug full of pens/pencils and markers, a vintage IDog (Editor’s Note: An IDog was a robot dog created by Sega), and my most prized possession: a complete hawk skull that was gifted to me by a colleague when I was working the graveyard shift.

8. If you acquired a decommissioned legacy BART car, what would you transform it into?

That depends. If I had ample funds, I would turn it into a houseboat that would be seaworthy, which my family and I could live aboard when I retire. I am sure it would take a degree of engineering to make this happen, as well as a boatload of cash (see what I did there). Now, if I didn’t have ample funding and BART was going to deliver it for free, I would have it put in my backyard, and I would slowly convert it into a mother-in-law unit or man cave.

9. Here’s your chance to brag. What’s something cool about BART you’d like to highlight?

I think the coolest thing about BART are the opportunities that we all have. Having the ability to change what we are doing, to reinvent our career paths by putting in a little extra effort and participating in some of the programs the unions offer is a huge job perk. I have an old friend I worked with about 20 years ago, he came to BART as a Systems Service Worker and became a Train Operator. I have met so many people who have come to BART in one capacity and have ended up miles from where they started trade-wise. These opportunities don’t always exist with other employers.

10. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned at BART?

During my time with BART, I would say the most important thing I have learned is to expect the unexpected and be prepared to be flexible and creative in my approach to any given situation. On any day of the week, you may be called on to use your experience, knowledge, and creativity to overcome the task at hand. Just when you think you might have seen it all, something will happen which will make that last situation seem pale in comparison. So, moving forward, I think the Boy Scouts motto of “Be Prepared” is something that is important to keep in mind while we’re taking care of business. Have a safe day.