When a heart attack or other cardiac ailment strikes, the chances of surviving often hinge on how quickly treatment can begin.

So it makes sense to have as many people as possible trained to react in such an emergency.

Cardiac arrest happens to about 1,000 people a day in the United States outside a hospital or clinical setting, according to the American Heart Association.

Tragically, even when someone else is present, less than half of these cases receive CPR until emergency personnel arrive — usually because the bystander does not know what to do, the AHA said.

“This,” according to the AHA, “leads to a dismal survival rate of 11 percent. We can and must do better.”

This week, Michigan took a big step toward doing better.

On Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley — filling in for the vacationing Gov. Rick Snyder — signed into law legislation that requires schools train students in grades 7 through 12 at least once on CPR and the use of a defibrillator.

This training is to start the next academic year.

In making the move, Michigan joins 34 other states — including Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio — in making CPR instruction mandatory in the schools, according to AHA.

The CPR training does not have to be complicated — the law allows instruction to be hands-only CPR, which does not require certification or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and can be taught in as few as 30 minutes.

The training also can be incorporated into existing health classes students already must take to graduate.

It’s a good, even overdue, move that provides a way to better ensure more Michigan residents don’t have to helplessly stand by when someone collapses.

“It provides students with the skills and confidence necessary to perform CPR,” the AHA stated, “ultimately making our communities safer and empowering our youth to save lives.”