Our (Bombardier) aircraft all
AFAIK have an escape system of some kind - usually by a modified baggage hatch and sometimes a floor hatch in the larger aircraft. The LJs have blow out cabin doors IIRC. Helmets and chutes are common for a lot of initial testing; helmets alone for the field perf stuff where a chute ain't much use to anyone.
Also most of our test aircraft have big red "cut here" marks on the fuselage to aid crash/rescue teams. "Uncle Roger" made light of those marks when the prototype CRJ900 went to farnborough with them marked on; not perhaps an ideal subject for humour.