RECCO has one pretty specific use case: Being hit by an avalanche while not carrying an active avalanche beacon.
This is pretty much only useful for recreational skiers straying off-slope: If you get hit by an avalance in the backcountry, chances are that anybody noticing the avalance and capable of digging you out in time, i.e. within minutes, will be your group members (hopefully you were following precautions, i.e. skiing with a lot of distance between each other on avalanche-prone slopes and are carrying shovels!)
In any case, there will most likely not be anybody carrying the heavy active searching device needed for RECCO. Active avalance beacons can be switched to homing mode by non-buried group memebers; that's why skiing and mountain guides I've spoken to heavily recommend carrying these when planning to go off-slope.
RECCO's range is 80 meters only in free-space (20 meters under packed snow), so it's not even remotely useful to locate lost hikers/climbers.