Do you have suggestions for preparing a "safe room"?

What is the purpose of such a room? Temporary refuge, or survival shelter? Lots of different directions to take here, depending on the parameters.

I can, however, answer the air question:

As has already been mentioned, you need to keep the room at positive pressure with respect to ambient. Also, you should have an airtight double door (like an airlock), with the intermediate chamber at higher than ambient pressure, and the room itself at higher pressure still. This will enable a person to exit the room as may be required without compromising the remaining occupants. With a large enough intermediate space, you could also keep decontamination facilities in the intermediate chamber to permit reentry in the presence of NBC agents. This is, of course, not a simple or cheap undertaking.

Air quality is maintained by circulating the air through a chemical scrubber using either Sofnolime or lithium hydroxide to remove the carbon dioxide. Scrubbers are most effective when kept dry, so you may want to dehumidify the air first, before passing it through the scrubber. Keep enough scrubber material on hand for the expected (design) duration of your confinement. (You can do an internet search for Sofnolime - it’s not that expensive). Oxygen can be kept in high pressure cylinders. With a properly functioning scrubber, you will be amazed at how long you can make it last. Deliver it to the room using a barometer activated addition valve. As carbon dioxide is scrubbed out, the pressure will decrease, and such a valve will automatically add oxygen to bring the pressure back up to the desired level.

During the Gulf War some Israelis had plastic sheeting around a room in their houses, fearing scuds with chemical warheads. I wonder if they tried to keep a higher presure in it and if so, how.

The most important thing from a likelihood-of-need standpoint is lots and lots of bottled water. The most likely kind of attack, IMO, would be an attempt to poison the water supply. If your city even suspects the water has been contaminated, they’ll shut it off in a heartbeat. And then it could potentially be a few days before it’s deemed safe.

So keep lots of water. You can go without food for a short interruption of services, but water is crucial.

The reason for the duct tape and plastic sheets is most(not all) chemical agents have a short life.Sunlight ,rain and the wind will disapate any agent(unless it disperced right where you are)in a few hours. These agents were designed to be area denial weapons-after a few hours the (insert your favorite enemy here)would take the area without a prolonged battle.All you have to do,IF it’s a chemical/bio warfare attack and IF you are very close to the location of the original contamination is wait until it disperces.Get one of those wind up radios at Radio Shack and you won’t have to worry about batteries.